Digimon Season 2 Revised
by the21stMartian
Summary: My revision of Digimon season 2. What happens when the new kids meet George Helltower?   Some Taiora and maybe a few other couples later on...
1. The Return of Courage

21: So I decided I would upload this story even though it's a little out of order. (If you haven't read any of the D0 Trilogy, please read that first. At least that will explain who George Helltower is...)

Sponsor: why would you do something stupid like that?

21: To show the good peoples that I haven't been slacking off the entire summer.

George: Will I be in this story?

21: Of course, but there are a few...changes shall we say, to your character.

George: Like what?

21: For one, you're a little battier. For another, you now wear a trench coat...the list goes on.

George: I see, and will these changes be explained?

21: Yes, but if anybody doesn't understand/wants an explanation for something that isn't explained here in the chapters I will upload today, PM me and I'll either give you an answer or suggest that you wait for one if it will be forthcoming.

Sponsor: and what if someone doesn't like the changes you've made?

21: They can PM me too (no flames though...) and hopefully I'll be able to explain why I did what I did and make them feel a little better about it.

George: Well, you're the author. I trust your decisions with regard to my character.

21: That's good to hear.

Sponsor: Can we get on with this already?

21: You're the one holding up the works...

Sponsor: Fine! The21stMartian doesn't own Digimon, or it would look something like this...

Digimon Season 2: Revised

Episode 1: The Return of Courage

TK: "A lot has happened in the years following our latest adventure in the Digital World with George. Unfortunately, chief among the events is that the DigiPorts have once again closed, and (despite Izzy's best efforts) have refused to open again. We've changed a lot as well. The older Digidestined are now in high school, and have settled into their weekly activities. Tai is the captain of the men's varsity soccer team, and Sora's keeping him busy as the captain of the women's varsity soccer team. My brother Matt is trying to be a rock star, while Izzy's the president of the school's computer club. Mimi and her parents have moved to New York, and Joe is still trying to become a doctor…But for Kari and me, a new adventure was about to unfold…"

"Run for your lives it's the evil Digimon Emperor!"

The cry echoed throughout the forest as its denizens tried in vain to escape.

From whom, you might ask. From the Digimon Emperor of course!

Clad in blue pants with metallic cuffs and silver pockets. A black belt with a gold buckle circled around his waist, and his shirt had a pattern to match his pants. His sleeves were blue on top and grayish white on the bottom, and he wore black gloves covering his hands. On his right wrist was a simple cuff, but his left cuff was actually a hidden control panel that could relay his orders to his slaves. He wore a dark blue cape, covered at the shoulders with golden shoulder pads. He wore dark gray boots with black stripes, and his messy dark blue hair was parted over his left eye. Finally, he wore golden framed sunglasses with dark purple lenses. This was the self-proclaimed ruler of the Digital World, and he was just a mere child.

The Emperor pushed a button on his control panel, and suddenly, several black colored rings flew into the air searching for victims. A black obelisk could be seen in the background.

The rings chased after the forest's inhabitants and encircled them. For a few brief seconds, mysterious symbols appeared on the rings, then, as the symbols disappeared, the victim would stand, same as before except for a few small differences. First off, the ring was now attached to the victim, second, the eyes were now glowing a deep red color, and third, the victim was now a mindless slave of the Digimon Emperor…no big deal really. Such was the effect of the Emperor's Dark Rings.

Among those newly enslaved was a Unimon, his normally bluish green visor was now glowing red as he received his first order. Find any digimon who have not been captured…and destroy them!

One of the lucky few who had managed to remain free was a white feline with large pointed ear that had purple bristles on top. Her front paws ended in three sharp claws each. She wore yellow gloves, and her tail was alternatively striped white and purple ending in purple points just like her ears. On her tail was a golden cylinder with indecipherable writing going completely around it.

How had she managed to remain free? Well, it was all thanks to her tail ring.

The feline had been running through the forest, exactly like the other inhabitants, pursued by one of the rings, but when the black ring got too close, her tail ring glowed brightly, and she smashed it into the evil device, which promptly deactivated and shattered. She was taking a breather, when she heard a rustling coming from the bushes. She looked up in time to see the red glare of the enslaved Unimon's visor as he charged up for an attack.

* * *

The trench coat clad warrior swore as he flew towards the forest. Rumor had it his nemesis was there enslaving more digimon…including those of his friends the Odaiba Digidestined's partners. For several weeks…or was it months, the warrior had been trying to defeat the villain and restore balance to the world that meant a lot to him…the world he had spent millennia trying to defend.

"I can't let him violate this world any longer," he thought as he flew.

* * *

The feline digimon quickly dodged the unicorn's first assault, but Unimon wasn't finished yet. He reared up on his hind legs and attempted to trample the tiny fur ball, who barely managed to dodge the right hoof as it came down…scratch that, she didn't manage to dodge. Her tail ring was caught under the enraged equine's hoof as she rolled away. With a sickening crunch, the unicorn crushed the golden cylinder even as the feline digimon scampered away. As she ran from her pursuer, she was yanked into the bushes by a pair of orange arms.

For a few tense seconds, Unimon looked around for any sign of his query, then shrugged (A/N: can a unicorn shrug?), and wandered off.

The Digimon in the bushes breathed a sigh of relief as she looked upon her saviors. The first was a tiny orange dinosaur with bright green eyes, and the second was an orange and white flying pig.

"Agumon! Patamon!" she exclaimed, "It's nice to see you again!"

"It's nice to see you too Gatomon," said Agumon smiling,

"Where are the others?" asked Gatomon.

"…Gabumon, Gomamon, and Palmon went into hiding, and I haven't heard from them since," replied Agumon.

"What about Biyomon and Tentomon?" asked Gatomon.

Agumon's eyes looked downwards as he relayed the bad news.

"They've been captured and enslaved by the Emperor," he said.

Gatomon's ears angled behind her head and her eyes narrowed in a look of rage, as she asked her next question. "How?"

Patamon began to recount the events of the day before.

* * *

The day before had seen Patamon reuniting with Biyomon and Tentomon. They had been eating berries in a nearby forest when suddenly they heard a buzzing.

Out of the trees popped an enslaved Snimon, the three Rookie digimon did their best to flee, but the Champion was too fast.

"Twin Sickles!"

The attack knocked down Biyomon and Tentomon. Patamon wanted to help his friends, but knew he couldn't do anything alone, he faked left, and flew right to observe their fate.

Snimon signaled the Emperor, who sent two Dark Rings to capture his friends. As Patamon watched in horror, the rings enclosed themselves around his friends' bodies, making them mindless slaves of the Emperor.

* * *

"After that, I just flew around aimlessly for a while before bumping into Agumon," finished Patamon.

Gatomon hissed, "I'll make that Emperor pay for what he's done!"

"In the meantime, it's not safe to be out here," said Agumon, "I know of a nearby cave where we can take refuge."

The three old friends quickly and cautiously navigated their way through the forest towards the cave.

* * *

Not five minutes after the three digimon had left, another being wandered into the area. The trench-coated figure put on a pair of sunglasses, which, unlike the Emperor's, had red frames and yellow-green lenses; they were also fairly worn and beat up.

The digivice application was pulled up on the lenses, and the warrior began scanning the area. The scan turned up two sources of energy, one good and one evil, both were coming from the same clearing, so the figure went to take a look.

Upon arriving, he found the sources were the shattered Dark Ring, and Gatomon's broken tail ring. He picked up a small piece of the Dark Ring and knelt to examine the tail ring closer. A few seconds later, he swore.

"Curse my slowness," he exclaimed, "Gatomon needed my help and I wasn't here. For all I know she could be…No! I can't think like that! The Odaiba Digidestined's partners became my responsibility when they had to leave the Digital World, so I must protect them no matter what!"

His loud cursing had attracted the attention of Unimon, who came to find the source. Upon seeing the figure, Unimon began to charge up for an attack.

The figure pocketed Gatomon's tail ring, and stood up facing his attacker.

"So, it's a fight you want?" he asked, "Well it's a fight you'll get."

"Horn Blaster!"

* * *

"TK, hurry up or you'll be late for you first day of school!"

"Alright mom, I was just leaving!" replied TK.

TK had certainly grown up a lot the past few years. Gone was his green hat, only to be replaced by a simple white one. He wore a green and yellow shirt, and grayish green shorts. His hair though, was as golden colored as ever and his eyes were still a piercing blue. Recently, his mom decided it would be a good idea to move back to Odaiba so TK could be closer to his father and brother, and they had only really finished unpacking yesterday.

TK pulled on his backpack and headed out the door thinking about school and the new friends he'd make.

As the elevator doors opened, two people glanced out. The first was tall and lanky with long lavender hair that had a blue bandana tied in it. Her eyes were brown, and she wore a red dress with a dull orange vest. Her socks were purple, and her shoes were orange.

The second individual was much shorter and had brown hair shaped like an upside down bowl, and his eyes were green. He wore a collarless purple shirt and khaki pants along with brown boots.

"How's it going?" asked TK, "My name is TK."

"Oh," said the lavender haired girl, "you must be the new kid! I'm Yolei, and this is Cody."

Cody's face remained stoic as he extended his hand, "welcome to the building TK."

TK accepted the handshake, and the three were off to school.

As they walked toward the schoolhouse, Yolei asked, "so TK, what class are you in?"

"I'm in seventh grade class A," came the reply.

"I see," said the lavender haired girl, "I'm in 8B, and Cody here's in 4A."

Saying his name appeared to break Cody out of a deep meditative state.

"Oh, by the way Yolei," he said, "could you come over after school to fix my computer again?"

"Only if your mom bakes those brownies I love," she said smirking.

"Fine," came the reply, short and to the point.

At this time the trio had entered the schoolyard, to find a bunch of people playing soccer. Light reflected off the goggles of one of the players.

"…wait a sec. Goggles?" thought TK, as he did a double take.

For a second, TK looked at the soccer player in confusion.

A blue shirt, spiky brown hair, and goggles to him added up to Tai Kamiya, an old friend of TK's. Then TK looked again and noticed that the hair wasn't nearly poufy enough, the goggles had rectangular lenses, and, as TK reminded himself, Tai would be in high school now.

Suddenly, the ball was kicked towards the advancing trio. It nearly missed Yolei's head and landed in TK's hands.

As the goggled soccer player approached, Yolei shouted "Watch where you're aiming Davis!"

"Yeesh, sorry," said Davis sarcastically. Under his breath he mumbled, "I won't miss next time."

"I heard that!" yelled Yolei.

TK chucked the ball back to Davis, and said, "you remind me of someone…must be the goggles."

Davis looked at him quizzically for a moment before the other players yelled at him for holding up the game.

A few minutes later, the bell rang and they all headed for class. Yolei pointed TK in the right direction as she headed to room 8B, and soon, TK found himself looking at the sign to room 7A. He sighed and headed in.

He saw Davis talking to a girl with short brown hair and amber eyes. The girl was wearing a sleeveless pink and white shirt with a camera hanging from a strap around her neck. She wore yellow shorts with a brown belt, and pink fingerless gloves that went almost up to her shoulders. Her socks were white, and her shoes were pink and white.

Davis had grinned when he had seen the girl and immediately had taken a desk next to her.

"How's it going Kari?" he had asked, for the girl was indeed Kari Kamiya, and the two had started chatting about their summers…which brings us back to TK's entrance.

The teacher brought TK to the front of the class and introduced him.

"Everyone, this is TK, a new student. Let's all welcome him into our community," he said in a droning voice.

"It's nice to meet you," said TK, as he eyed his classmates.

"TK, please take a seat next to the girl with the camera around her neck," said the teacher.

TK obliged as the teacher left to get him a book. The girl looked over at him with a hint of recognition.

"Excuse me, but you wouldn't happen to be TK Takaishi would you," she said grinning (more as a statement than a question.)

TK's brain took a couple of seconds to connect two and two, but suddenly, he smiled widely.

"How've you been Kari?" he asked.

* * *

As the two continued to catch up, Davis fumed. Here he had gotten to know Kari for the past three years and this weirdo shows up and within minutes they're talking like they've known each other for ages. He resolved to take up his issues with TQ…er TV after school.

* * *

The trench-coated figure merely backhanded the Unimon's attack, sending it flying right back at its sender, who promptly dodged.

"Ouch," thought the figure as he examined his left hand, "that technique is just getting more and more useless. I'll need to be more careful, I'm not what I once was…"

The Unimon meanwhile had decided to go for a physical assault, and was now charging at the warrior, who jumped, and landed right on Unimon's back.

"This might sting a bit," he said before launching an energy blast pointblank at the enslaved Unimon's Dark Ring.

On contact, the ring disintegrated, freeing the Unimon from the Emperor's slavery.

After a few moments of dishevelment, the Unimon regained his senses and saw the figure standing before him.

"George," said the Unimon, "I'm glad I found you."

"Actually, I found you, old friend. What's up?" asked the figure.

"There's a cave nearby that I think you should investigate," replied the Unimon, "I'll escort you."

"No," said George, "You'll give me directions, and then you'll get out of here. The Emperor is gunning for me, and anyone caught with me is deleted by his minions."

Unimon nodded and gave George the directions; he then flew as far away from the forest as his wings could take him. George meanwhile started walking toward the cave…

* * *

School had ended, and Kari was going to take TK to see Izzy and Tai. They were at their cubbies exchanging school shoes for regular shoes when Davis stormed in looking none too happy.

"Alright TJ," he said, "Nobody makes a move on _my_ girl and gets away with it!"

TK looked rather confused, "what are you talking about?" he asked.

"He's referring to me," said Kari angrily, "and for the last time Davis, I'm _not_ your girl!"

"TS and I have a disagreement, and I'd like to settle it," snarled Davis.

The goggled soccer star began advancing toward TK, when a familiar voice said, "What seems to be the problem this time Davis?"

The voice was followed by a wild mop of brown hair that spiked and poufed all over the place. Although he was wearing the green jacket, white oxford, gray pants, and blue tie of a high school student, there was no denial that this was TK's old friend and Kari's older brother, Tai Kamiya (the circular goggles he wore in his hair also was a dead giveaway).

"Tai!" said Davis a little nervously, "I was just trying to defend your sister's honor from—"

Davis trailed off as Tai walked over to TK and smiled.

"I heard through the grapevine you were back in town," he said, "I have to admit though; it took me a few seconds to recognize you. You've really grown up!"

"It's good to see you again too Tai!" said TK, "We're on our way to see Izzy in the computer lab, you in?"

"Sure," said Tai as he, TK, and Kari wandered in the direction of the Middle School-High School junction (junction HM), and the computer lab nearby.

Davis silently fumed as he followed them.

"He knows Tai! How could he know Tai? It's not fair!"

* * *

George cautiously walked into the cave. He looked around and noticed that someone had been here recently. Putting it down to Unimon, he continued walking, when suddenly, he was ambushed by three digimon.

"Hold it!" said Agumon.

"We've got you surrounded!" said Gatomon.

"Don't move, or we'll attack!" said Patamon.

When he was first surrounded, George had automatically whipped out a glowing white sword from under his trench coat. Then, all four beings paused for a few seconds and looked at each other, and smiled.

They all sat down next to a roaring fire (started by Agumon), and George pulled out one of his 'special sodas' and started drinking deeply.

"You have no idea how good it is to see you three again," said George, "I thought for sure the Emperor had gotten you by now."

"C'mon George, you know we're craftier than that," said Agumon.

"It's not really a matter of craftiness at this point, it's a matter of hiding skills," remarked George, pulling off his trench coat.

At this point, Gatomon noticed his darkened crest.

"Your crest," she said pointing.

The human sighed and took another deep gulp of his beverage, "I know. The same thing that's been happening to you digimon has been happening to me as well. This crest just won't ignite anymore…it's almost like it's been sapped of power…which reminds me, guess what I found?"

"Some food?" asked Patamon.

"Nope, I found Gatomon's tail ring. When I saw it smashed I feared the worst," said the warrior, pulling out the smashed ring. As he leaned in to show Gatomon, his tag and crest bounced off the strange looking medallion he also wore around his neck. The design appeared to be a pentagram that had a chunk missing.

"Still haven't found the last piece to that pendant of yours?" asked Agumon.

"Nope," replied George, "even if it was in this time and space, the Emperor is making sure I don't have any free time to go looking for it…"

Gatomon examined her ring. It was almost cracked in half, with several smaller cracks appearing across the cylindrical surface. It was sparking and would probably shock her if she tried to wear it. The feline digimon sighed, it was useless now. Despite the sentimental value, she'd have to get rid of it.

As Gatomon threw down the ring, tears welled up in her eyes and she ran further into the cave to cover her sadness. George cocked his head, picked up the sparking ring, and wordlessly pocketed it again.

Suddenly, Gatomon cried, "you guys have got to see this!"

Remembering the reason he'd cone to the cave in the first place, George leapt up and dashed towards Gatomon's voice.

In a few moments, he and the two Rookies found themselves in a vault of some sort. The room was semispherical and had a hole in the apex of the roof. From that hole a ray of light fell on an object that was sitting on a pedestal.

The object in question was egg shaped and decorated with orange, red, and yellow flames. A giant spike jutted out from the top, and a circular pattern on the front resembled the sun.

"That looks like Tai's Crest of Courage," said Agumon.

"Then this must be another DigiEgg," said George, "I found one a while ago, but I'm still not sure what it does."

"Well, maybe you should take this one too," said Patamon.

"I dunno," said George, "that's Tai's crest, not mine. I may not be able to lift it like I did the other…"

"You've got to try!" exclaimed Gatomon, "I don't know how, but I feel like these eggs are the key to defeating the Emperor."

George nodded and moved forward to pick up the egg. As soon as he touched it however, three rays of light flew upwards, and out of the hole in the cave's roof.

The four stood transfixed for a few minutes, and were rudely brought back to reality by the ground shaking.

George swore, "Those lights must have alerted the Emperor to our presence."

"What do we do?" asked Gatomon.

"We fight," said Agumon.

"No, that's suicide!" said George, "I won't allow you to be captured!"

"Well what do you propose we do then?" asked Patamon belligerently.

"You three stay deep in the cave, I'll go out and greet our guests," said the former Warrior of Power, "I'll return when I'm through with them, in the meantime, please stay here."

With that, he ran back into the front room, grabbing his trench coat as he went.

A few minutes later, shouting and blasting could be heard. As the three digimon in the cave listened, the sounds grew fainter and fainter.

* * *

Izzy Izumi sat grumbling in the computer lab. His mind was hard at work trying to find ways to contact George or Gennai in the Digital World, and he was having no luck. All he could do was make the DigiPort program appear, and every time it was closed. It was as though something…or someone was barring him from the Digital World, and he didn't like it.

Short for a high-school student, Izzy had red hair and brown eyes. He too wore the high school uniform although if he hadn't it would have been easy to mistake him for a 7th grader, but his intellect was unmatched by anyone…at least in Odaiba High anyways.

The boy genius looked up as the door to the computer room opened, and he smiled when he saw his old friends Tai and Kari, along with Davis Motamiya and someone tantalizingly familiar. (Izzy and Davis had been introduced by Tai.)

"Hey Izzy," said the blond haired stranger, "it's nice to see you again."

Izzy blinked, and it all came back to him, "TK," he said as his smile widened, "welcome back to Odaiba!"

"So," said Tai, "you still trying to get back into the Digital World?"

Izzy wordlessly glanced at Davis, who was still grumbling to himself.

"Oh," said Tai casually, "Davis already knows about the Digital World."

"How?" asked Izzy incredulously.

"…I kinda…told him about it," said Tai sheepishly.

"Tai, that was a very irresponsible, negligent, and careless thing to do," said the boy genius, "not to mention stupid!"

"Soorrry, geez," said Tai, "now can we get back to the topic at hand?"

Izzy sighed, "Yes I'm still trying to _contact_ the Digital World, and no I'm still not having any luck—"

The redhead was cut off as three beams of light, one blue, one red, and one yellow, shot out of the DigiPort program he had opened on the computer.

The blue beam went straight for Davis, knocking him over.

"What the hell was that?" asked Davis.

Izzy knelt to examine the device that had emerged from the beam, it was fist shaped and had a small screen. Next to the screen were arrow shaped buttons, and under the screen was a button and slider similar to the main buttons on an iPod. A small antenna poke out from the top of the device, and it had two blue sidebars. Although it was different than the ones Izzy was used to, there could be no doubt that this was a digivice.

"Still think you're having no luck?" chuckled Kari.

"Incredible," said Izzy, "it's a digivice…perhaps an upgraded model of ours."

At the mention of digivices, TK, Kari, and Tai all took out theirs.

"…and if the DigiWorld is sending out digivices," said Izzy turning slowly back to the computer, "then…YES! The gate is open!"

Tai smiled his goofy smile, "DigiWorld here we come!" he exclaimed.

Without further thought, Tai held his digivice up to the computer screen and promptly vanished. Kari and TK followed suit.

Davis stared openmouthed as he watched his mentor, his crush, and his arch nemesis vanish into the computer.

"It's your turn," said Izzy, "unless you're scared."

Davis shook his head to get rid of his jitters, "I'm there!" he exclaimed holding up his digivice as well. When he vanished, a giant beam of light appeared from the computer.

As Izzy examined his digivice, and began to hold it up, someone came charging into the room…someone with lavender hair and a short temper.

"What's going on in here Izzy?" demanded Yolei.

"Oh, uh, hey Yolei, I uh, wasn't expecting to see you until tomorrow," Izzy stammered as he quickly fumbled with his digivice and put it into his pocket.

Yolei was Izzy's assistant for all things computer club related. Despite her temper, Yolei was almost as good with computers and programming as he was.

"What was that giant flash of light?" she demanded.

"Uh…there must have been a…umm, malfunction with one of the uh…computers," stammered the boy genius, "I'll ummm, get right onto fixing it."

Yolei looked at the computer in question and saw the strange program. At the top was a bar that read "Digital World".

"Then what's that strange program?" she asked.

"Ummm, it must be some kind of, uhh…computer game left on by someone," said Izzy, not altogether the craftiest Digidestined in the crayon box.

"Liar!" shouted Yolei, "there was no one here today except you!"

Izzy didn't respond, though he still looked rather nervous, and was relieved when she decided to change the subject.

"Anyways," she said calmly, "I was just on my way to ask you about something."

Anxious to get away from the topic of the incriminating program on the computer, Izzy said, "What can I help you with?"

"…It's kind of difficult to explain," said Yolei, "Cody and I were walking out of the building, when suddenly, we were hit by two beams of light. When the light faded, we had these." At that, she pulled out a digivice that was just like Davis's except with red sidebars instead of blue ones.

Izzy was shocked, so _that's_ who received the other two digivices.

"Could I impose on you two to stay here for a little while longer?" he asked, "there's something important you must know."

In the hallway, Cody had picked up the payphone and called home.

"Yolei and I are going to be home a little late mom," he said, "we have to stay after school for computer class, but since you already made the brownies I'll stop by to pick them up."

He hung up and briskly began the quick trip home. In his hand could be seen another digivice, this one with yellow sidebars.

* * *

Davis looked around in shock. He had just been in the computer room not a minute ago, and now he was in some kind of forest. Surely this was impossible.

As he continued to examine his surroundings, his gaze fell upon his clothing, and his jaw dropped.

Instead of his blue T-shirt he was now wearing a white T-shirt with a blue Bomber jacket decorated with red and orange flames. He now had yellow gloves and olive green shorts as well as orange and white boots that went up beyond his ankle. When he looked at everyone else, he noticed that their clothes hadn't changed at all.

"Meh," he thought, "that must mean I'm special…"

Suddenly, an orange mark appeared on his digivice, which promptly began buzzing.

"Huh?" he said looking at the device.

Tai, TK, and Kari all leaned in for a closer look, and Tai gasped. He knew that symbol! It was the symbol of the Crest of Courage…his crest.

"Davis, we need to find what's causing that mark to appear," said Tai, and the other two nodded.

* * *

"I smell Tai!" said Agumon suddenly, "and TK and Kari too!"

"Where?" asked Gatomon and Patamon eagerly.

Agumon sniffed again, "nearby…maybe a few miles away."

The very thought of reuniting with his partner cause Agumon to head towards the exit.

"Hold it!" said Gatomon, "George told us to wait here. As tempting as it is to go see Kari again, we can't rush into this."

"We haven't heard any sounds of scuffling in a while," reasoned Patamon, "and George didn't know our partners would be back."

Gatomon's feeble resistance crumbled, as she dashed from the cave along with Agumon and Patamon.

* * *

Tai, TK, and Kari were walking towards the signal, when suddenly Davis stopped.

"Huh," said Tai's protégé, "what's a vending machine doing out here?"

After a few seconds he realized he didn't really care, but he was kinda thirsty.

"I'm getting a drink, anybody else want one?" he asked.

"Uh…Davis, I wouldn't touch that if I were –" began Tai.

He was cut off by a scream of terror as a bunch of slimy blob-like digimon came out from the vending machine's shoot. They were green and purple, and their eyes sat on two stalks that were connected to the main body, if that's what it could be called. The only other distinguishing feature was the mouth, the big mouth with the giant slimy tongue and the big yellowing teeth.

Within seconds, Davis was overrun by these creatures, and he lay screaming on the ground until the stampede was finally done. He stood up to find the others laughing at his predicament and he scowled.

"Let's keep moving," said Tai, trying to conceal his smirk.

After a few moments, Davis plucked up the courage to ask, "so those were digimon?"

"Yep," said TK, "but not all digimon are like that. Some are friendlier, and others are scarier."

"…do they all come out of vending machines?" asked Davis.

Before he could get the sarcastic answer forming in Tai's brain, the four travelers came into a clearing. On the other side of the clearing three digimon, an orange dinosaur, a white feline, and a flying pig, were approaching.

Davis, being cautious, readied himself for the worst and casually picked up a broken branch. To his eternal surprise, the three creatures threw themselves at his companions, not with maliciousness, but rather with love.

"Agumon!" said Tai, hugging the orange dinosaur, "it's good to see you again!"

"Tai," said Agumon, "I've missed you so much!"

"TK!" said Patamon flying at the blond haired boy.

"Patamon!" TK yelled happily embracing the flying pig, "see I told you we'd meet again someday."

Gatomon leapt into Kari's arms, something she had been unable to do the last time they had seen each other.

"My how you've grown," laughed the white feline as Kari hugged her.

"It's good to see you again too Gatomon," laughed Kari…and then she noticed Gatomon's tail, "where's your tail ring?"

Gatomon sighed, "it's a long story, and we're not safe out here. We should return to the cave."

The Digidestined nodded and followed the three digimon into the cave, with Davis trailing behind looking both shocked and confused.

* * *

George recalled the good old days when he could have easily taken on the three Champion level digimon that confronted him. Drimogemon, Mojyamon, and Snimon were their names, and their servitude to the Emperor was displayed by their blood red eyes and the Dark Rings on their bodies.

"Twin Sickles!"

"Drill Spin!"

"Boomerang Bone!"

Having succeeded in drawing his foes far away from the cave, nobody saw the explosion that rocked the canyons.

* * *

"And that's what happened to my tail ring," finished Gatomon.

"But, why was Unimon chasing you?" asked Kari, concerned for her friend.

"He was under the control of the Digimon Emperor," replied Agumon.

"…say what now?" asked Tai, "did you just say 'Digimon Emperor'?"

"...you mean you haven't heard of him?" asked Patamon, "then why are you here?"

"The DigiPort finally opened, so we decided to drop by," said TK.

"So who is the Digimon Emperor?" asked Tai.

"A few months ago an evil human appeared in the Digital World. He claimed to be the Digimon Emperor and started conquering the Digital World by enslaving digimon with his Dark Rings. He carries with him a strange dark digivice that prevents any digimon not under his control from digivolving," said Gatomon.

At this point, unbeknownst to anyone, a Dark Ring flew into the room. The images were relayed to the Emperor in his control room.

"Digimon Emperor," he heard Tai say, "I'd like to slap a Dark Ring on him!"

* * *

"An interesting idea Kamiya, too bad you'll never get to do it," laughed the Emperor.

The tyrant scanned through his forces to see who he should send to destroy the Digidestined.

"I know!" he exclaimed, "I'll send in Unimon!"

But as he continued scrolling, he saw that Unimon's name was not on his roster, someone had freed him, and he had a good idea as to who had done it.

"Helltower!" he yelled, but quickly regained composure, "alright, no matter, I'll just send Monocromon instead!"

The Emperor hit a button on his control panel, and Monocromon was sent in.

"Since the Emperor's arrival, many of us have been fighting him, including our old friend George Helltower. Apparently he and the Emperor have a history, but whenever we ask him about it, he changes the subject," continued Patamon.

* * *

The digimon and humans were walking towards the back of the cave. Agumon had insisted Tai see something that was back there.

"If George is fighting, how come the Emperor's still around?" asked Tai, "shouldn't he be able to take out the Emperor's servants no problem?"

Gatomon recalled George's dark crest from their conversation earlier and shook her head. "Unfortunately, he's been just as affected by the power drain as us digimon have…" said Gatomon, "his crest won't even glow anymore."

"Who's George?" asked Davis.

"A friend," replied TK.

"The best kind of friend to have," added Tai, thoughtfully.

"If even George is being drained, I don't see how we can be of any help," he thought.

Just then, he saw the egg with the Crest of Courage emblazoned on it.

"…wait a sec," said Tai, "that's the Crest of Courage…"

"Yeah," said Agumon, "and George couldn't lift it."

"Well maybe I can," said Tai, but try as he might, the egg wouldn't budge.

TK tried next, with the same results, and then Kari stepped forward.

"Step aside," she said, "this needs a woman's touch," but even she couldn't move the egg.

"Too bad we don't have a woman here to help," said Tai smirking, earning himself an elbow to the ribs.

At this point Davis stepped forwards, "right, lemme try!"

"Who're you anyways?" asked Gatomon suspiciously.

"He's a new Digidestined," said Kari, "you can trust him."

At this point Davis went up to the Digiegg and pulled. It came up with no resistance, and he nearly poked out his eye with the egg's spike.

Suddenly, a blue light appeared from where the egg had been. Within the light, a solid shape formed, eventually becoming a bipedal lizard with blue skin on the outside, and a white underbelly and mouth. He had a short horn for his nose, and big brown eyes. His ears and tail were short semi-folded structures that sort of resembled lightning bolts. On his forehead was a yellow marking shaped like a V.

This strange creature jumped from the light and shouted, "Yahoo! Free at last!"

He went up to Davis and extended his hand, "my name is Veemon, but you can call me Veemon, and you're my partner!"

"Huh?" said Davis, stunned.

"Hey, I've heard of Veemon," said Agumon, "supposedly he's a fun loving adventure seeking digimon that's supposed to bring you good luck, but I thought he was just a legend."

"Nope, I'm real alright," said Veemon, "and I'm very happy to meet you Davish!"

Davis didn't recall telling this creature his name.

"Alright buddy," said Davis, "who are you and how do you know my name?"

"I'm your partner Davish," repeated Veemon, "you were the one who was able to move the Digiegg of Courage, so that means you're the one I've been waiting for."

Tai was certainly confused, "but the Crest of Courage is mine," he thought.

His thoughts were cut short as the enslaved Monocromon smashed through the roof of the cave, glaring angrily at the Digidestined.

"What's that," asked a horrified Davis, "a monster?"

"No, that's a Digimon," said Kari.

"A Monocromon," explained TK, "his shell is harder than diamonds, and his Volcanic Strike launches fireballs at his enemies."

Davis gulped, they were in trouble now.

"Volcanic Strike!"

As the fireballs began to charge in the Monocromon's mouth, Tai made an executive decision.

"Run!" he shouted.

The Digidestined ran out of the cave with Davis and Veemon bringing up the rear. Veemon pulled on Davis's pant leg.

"You've got to open the Digiegg Davish," he said.

"What the hell does that mean?" asked Davis, as he and Veemon finally reached daylight, with Monocromon right on their heals. He tried to catch his breath, but Tai ran towards him from below.

"Davis, get down here it's not safe!" he shouted.

At that moment, Monocromon emerged from the cave. Blinking in the sudden daylight, he didn't see Davis as he charged forwards…and knocked the poor boy into the air. Davis landed in front of Tai with a dull thud, as Veemon slid down the slope to join him, concern in his big brown eyes.

"Davish tell me, what hurts?"

Davis slowly sat up, his goggles had broken in the fall.

"Everything but my earlobes," he replied.

"I can digivolve if you open the egg, but you have to have courage to do it," said Veemon.

At that moment, Monocromon recovered from the dizziness that had ensued after he crashed into Davis.

"Volcanic Strike!"

The attack was aimed straight at Kari, who tried to run away, but tripped over a root. Sudden panic appeared in her eyes as the fireball drew ever closer.

Something snapped in Davis. He had come into a new world, been assaulted by slimy green digimon that lived in a vending machine, heard tales of the Digimon Emperor, met Veemon, been chased by a Monocromon, and now Kari was going to die? No! He'd had enough!

"I won't let the Emperor hurt Kari," he said, and the Digiegg glowed.

"That's it!" said Veemon, "now say 'DigiArmor Energize'."

"DigiArmor Energize!" yelled Davis.

"Veemon Armor Digivolve to—Flamedramon: the Fires of Courage!"

Veemon had fused with the DigiEgg to become something totally new. He grew much taller. The armor covered his feet and gave him three claws per foot. Then it fused with his hands and gave him three clawed fingers. Another piece of the egg fused and became a chest plate, and the final piece became a helmet, with the gigantic spike sticking out of it.

The new creature dashed at the impending fireball, and snuffed it out with one of his armored hands.

Davis pointed, "That's not Veemon," he said.

"Right you are Davis," said Flamedramon in a much deeper voice, "As Veemon I used the DigiEgg of Courage to digivolve to Flamedramon. My Fire Rocket and Flaming Fist attacks will charbroil my enemies like a well done steak."

Davis's expression of shock changed to one of sheer delight.

"Go get 'em Flamedramon!" he shouted.

* * *

The Digimon Emperor was not as exuberant as Davis was about Flamedramon's appearance. He looked at his digivice and at the sector the Digidestined were in…his amplifier was still there.

"With my dark digivice," he said, "there should be no way they could digivolve. The Digidestined are more resourceful than I thought…"

To improve his mood, he checked his other monitor. On it, a certain trench coat clad warrior was being pinned to the canyon wall by a Snimon while a Drimogemon, drill whirling, advanced.

"Good," said the Emperor, "at least I'll finally be rid of him…"

* * *

Monocromon launched another wave of fireballs. Flamedramon just snuffed them out again.

Monocromon glared and charged. Flamedramon caught the beast and flipped him like a giant sack of potatoes. As Monocromon righted himself, he head butted Flamedramon and flicked him into the air.

Flamedramon righted himself and began to burn. Flames leapt up and surrounded him, as he fell toward the enslaved digimon. Only his horn remained uncovered by flames.

"Fire Rocket!"

Gatomon watched the lizard fall and pumped her fist.

"Barbecue that Dark Ring Flamedramon," she yelled.

Flamedramon dropped right onto the Dark Ring, it cracked and broke, freeing the Monocromon, even as Flamedramon dedigivolved back into Veemon.

A light representing the egg went into Davis's pocket, and he pulled out a mini computer. On the computer's tiny screen was a digital picture of the DigiEgg of Courage showing that one of the computer's functions was a storage place for the collected DigiEggs. Other functions would be revealed after an investigation.

Davis looked over at the newly freed Monocromon, who was being petted by Kari. It wasn't such a bad digimon after all.

Davis felt a hand on his shoulder, he looked up to see his mentor, Tai, smiling.

"That was some good work," he said, "armor digivolution is pretty cool stuff."

Agumon nodded, "even though we older digimon can't armor digivolve, I know we can count on you new guys to thrash the Emperor for us."

"Meh, leave it to me," said Veemon confidently.

"I'm totally psyched!" said Davis, "this DigiWorld is even cooler than I thought!"

"Just remember," said Tai, "you have to roll with the punches. You win some you lose some. Don't get disheartened or discouraged should things get more challenging."

"Yeah, whatever," said Davis casually, "Veemon and I can handle anything!"

* * *

"Really?" thought the Emperor, having heard Davis's last statement, well let's see how you like my next ingenious plan!"

The Emperor set his security defenses and decided to retire for the evening, but before he left, he decided he'd check on Helltower. Despite the three-on-one, the former Warrior of Power had managed to keep the fight going for several hours, but now, all was deathly quiet.

The Emperor checked his slave pool and found Snimon, Drimogemon, and Mojyamon to be missing from the roster; Helltower had freed them!

"Hmmm, so the cheater managed to hack his way out of that trap too," the Emperor said, "well, his luck can only hold for so long…"

He'd find a way to crush those kids and Helltower once and for all…

As he left, a pair of soulful blue eyes watched him sadly.

* * *

"Listen Davis," said Tai, "I noticed you broke your goggles when you fell."

Tai slowly (and somewhat reluctantly) took off his goggles and held them out.

"…and as we all know," he continued, "the leader of the Digidestined just wouldn't look right without them…so here, you can have mine."

Davis thought for a moment, sure it would be a great honor to wear his mentor's goggles…but it just wouldn't be right seeing Tai without them.

"Nah, that's okay Tai," said Davis, "I appreciate it and everything, but without your goggles, you just wouldn't be you."

Kari, Agumon, and TK laughed.

"It's true," admitted Kari.

Their laughter was cut short by a sigh of relief from Patamon.

"Good, the sun's going down," he exclaimed, "now we can relax."

"Why?" asked TK.

"The Emperor never shows up during the nighttime," replied Agumon.

With Monocromon as an escort, the Digidestined and their partners made their way towards the nearest portal to the real world…which was shaped like a TV, and on that TV…were Yolei, Cody, and Izzy.

Izzy chomped down on another brownie.

"Mmmm, these are the best things I've ever tasted," he exclaimed.

The boy genius had spent the last few hours explaining the Digital World to Yolei and Cody, which was challenging, but certainly worth the brownies.

"Hey Izzy," said Yolei, "what does it mean when that light on the computer turns green?"

"What light?" asked Izzy.

"The light on that thing you pulled up on the compter," said Yolei turning to get a better look, and almost spitting out her brownie in the process.

Staring at her on the other side of the screen…was Davis.

"Hey guys, let me in," he shouted, "it's Davis!"

Suddenly, a light came out of the TV and sucked in the Digidestined. The digimon looked on in shock as their partners reappeared on the other end…in a dog pile.

* * *

"You don't see that everyday," commented Agumon.

Izzy, Yolei, and Cody didn't have time to react before the others flew out of the computer and onto them. Izzy fared the worst, with Tai landing on him.

"Get off," he exclaimed, "you're crushing my brownie!"

* * *

The one known as George Helltower returned to the cave. Although he limped a little and had a few nasty gashes, he appeared for the most part to be alright. Agumon, Gatomon, and Patamon were there along with another digimon that George had never seen before. The four of them were sleeping peacefully by the cave's entrance when George approached. Gatomon's keen ears, alert for the slightest sound, heard the bushes rustling. She woke up and quickly roused the others.

"Someone's coming," she whispered, "let's hide."

They had barely managed to conceal themselves when the trench-coated warrior emerged from the foliage. He glanced around a couple of times as though looking for something.

Veemon was frightened; to him another human could mean only one thing.

"Is he the Digimon Emperor?" whispered Veemon.

"No," said Gatomon, "he's a friend."

"Another Digidestined?" asked Veemon.

"Yep," said Gatomon, as she, Agumon, and Patamon came out of hiding.

George smiled, "there you are!" he said. Then he noticed Veemon.

"Who's the new guy?" he asked.

"Veemon," replied Gatomon.

"Hey George, guess what?" said Agumon, "Tai, TK, and Kari came back today! Isn't that great?"

George momentarily stiffened at the thought of the other's return, but he recovered quickly and said, "yeah Agumon that's great!"

He appeared to be in deep thought for a moment, but then he continued.

"Tell you what," he said, "I can escort you to a safe haven, and then I'll pay the others a visit…they need to understand what…or more accurately who they're up against."

Narrator: What is the Digimon Emperor's next plan, and will the new Digidestined be up to the challenge of defeating him? A new adventure has just begun on Digimon: Digital Monsters!

21: Not bad for a first chapter eh?

Sponsor: It's a little longer than your other stories' normal chapters wouldn't you say?

21: The funny thing is, this chapter's actually one of the shorter ones. Episode 5 (which I'm currently working on) is set to be longer than any of these chapters so far.

George: ...is there any reason these chapters are going to be longer?

21: Yeah, there's a lot more going on in this story than in my other stories.

George: that makes sense...

21: One last thing. I had a little difficulty with the spacers (horizontal rulers) in this chapter, so some of them may appear where they shouldn't...it's not a big deal though.

Sponsor: can we go now?

21: Yes, but we'll be back in a bit with chapter 2!

Sponsor: Oh joy...


	2. Knowledge is Power&Love Soars Above All

21: ...and here's chapter 2!

Sponsor: hooray...can we please get this over with? I've got other things to do...

George: Whoa!

Sponsor: What?

George: You have a life?

Sponsor: OF COURSE I DO YOU NINCOMPOOP!

21: Looks like somebody blew a fuse again...I'll get the replacement.

Sponsor: huh?

(21 pulls out a massive fuse and tried to implant it into the Sponsor)

Sponsor: No! No! Stay back you maniac!

21: But you're broken and I gotta fix you...

Sponsor: I'M NOT BROKEN! I'M JUST MAD!

George: Well being mad never helped anybody...

Sponsor: Fine, whatever, let's just get this-

(21 shoves the massive fuse up the Sponsor's nose)

21: There now! All better :)

Sponsor: A-a-aa-ACHOO!

(The fuse blows up, and the electricity goes out. The Sponsor is out cold)

21: Huh, go figure...I guess the Sponsor isn't going to be able to do his job...so could you take over George?

George: Sure thing! The21stMartian doesn't own Digimon, so no suing or I'm gonna have to-

21: *ahem* I think that's quite enough

(21 and George look at the comatose Sponsor)

21: What'd ya wanna do while he's asleep?

George: The same thing we do every night binky boy!

21: Try to eat the entire world!

George: and I think our good Sponsor is willing to pay for this evening's meal isn't that right?

Sponsor: ... (still out cold)

21: Sounds like he agrees to me!

George: While we're eating, you're quite welcome to read the second installment of my creator's newest story, namely...

Episode 2: Knowledge is Power and Love Soars Above all

"Davis here. Last time three new digivices came out of the computer, and guess what? One of them was mine! I traveled with Tai, TW, and Kari to the Digital World, and found my partner Veemon. Together we defeated Monocromon, one of the Digimon Emperor's slaves. All I've got to say is, defeating him will be a piece of cake!"

Cody calmly extracted himself from the pile of bodies. He had displayed mild surprise when the others fell out of the computer, but that had quickly succumbed to his usual stoic demeanor.

"You were in the Digital World weren't you?" he asked bluntly.

"Yeah," said Davis, "it was great! I met my partner Veemon and we kicked butt!"

"…ummmm Davis, you do realize you can't tell just anyone about the Digital World right?" asked Tai.

"It's okay," said Izzy, "Yolei and Cody are the other two new Digidestined. I explained everything to them while you were…away."

Yolei stared at the computer with a determined expression. After a few seconds, she spoke.

"Right," said she, "let's go to the Digital World."

"Now?" asked Cody, "we can't go now! It's getting late."

"He's right," added Izzy, "our parents will probably blow a fuse if we're not home in time for dinner."

Tai, TK, and Kari nodded, and Yolei realized she was outvoted.

As they left, Izzy check the gate again. Sure enough, it had closed. Izzy shutdown the computer and ran to catch up with the others, whispering something to Tai on his way.

* * *

With the three digimon in tow, and Patamon flying beside him, George flew towards his main base on Upload Island.

The trip took longer than it should have since they had to stop to rest and avoid the Emperor's slaves, but they made it to the island in one piece.

At the base of Gargantuan Mountain they saw a door with a G surrounded by four images. At this door, George punched in a key code, had his retina scanned, had a thumbprint taken, and was scanned by several devices before the front door opened revealing the lighted passage filled with pictures within.

"Home sweet home," said George.

"Boy, you're not taking any chances with security," commented Agumon.

"Yeah," was all George said, but it was clear something was amiss.

At the end of the corridor, they found themselves at an elevator shaft. Here too, George punched in a key code and had his thumbprint taken, and the doors slid open. Upon entering, the human-digimon hybrid hit a button marked "H", and the elevator began to rise.

When the doors opened, the five found themselves in a comfy apartment carved into the mountain. One room was a kitchen, complete with refrigerator, oven, stove, microwave, and table. Another room was a bedroom and had a comfy looking bed, a desk, and a nightstand. A third room was a living room with several bookcases and a few sofas and armchairs. In both the bedroom and the living room there were electric fireplaces. The little digimon's room was, of course, down the hall to the left (A/N: gotta love clichés).

The walls were mostly bare, but in a few places posters for old sci-fi and horror movies were hung.

"This is where you live?" asked Agumon.

"Yep," said George smiling, "it took a while, but it was worth it."

"It's kinda bare necessities," said Patamon.

"What do you do for fun?" asked Veemon.

"That would be on floor "R"," said George.

"R?" asked Gatomon.

"R as in 'Recreation and Recharging'," explained the warrior, "I just swung by here to grab some stuff from the fridge, but I'm heading up there next, you coming?"

"Sure" said the four digimon eagerly.

Once again they hopped into the elevator (George repeating the security measures), and hit the button "R" (other buttons included C, G, and Q).

When the doors opened, the digimon's mouths opened in shock. There was a billiards table, an air hockey table, several pinball machines, a giant flat screen TV with a large movie selection, and lots and lots of videogames.

Lounging on a beanbag in front of the TV was George's partner, Crocmon.

Upon seeing his friend enter, he jumped off the poufy chair and ran over.

George knelt down and patted his partners head.

"We've got some company, keep them entertained while I go for a recharge," said George.

Crocmon nodded and escorted the others to other beanbags by the TV.

As they were watching, George stepped into a backroom with a door labeled "Authorized Personnel Only" and had a picture of the Crest of Power. George held up the crest, and had it scanned. The alarm system was disabled, and he stepped through the door.

A few bright flashes later, he stepped out looking refreshed and revitalized. His limp was gone and his gashes has stopped bleeding and mostly healed.

As he passed the digimon on the beanbags he commented, "I'm heading out, if you need anything Crocmon knows the security codes."

The digimon acknowledged with head nods, and George took the elevator up to his control room (Button C).

A bunch of monitors greeted him as he stepped into the well lit room. Several consoles could be seen along with several swivel chairs.

On a desk on the far side of the room sat George's old laptop. He quickly crossed the room and brought up a scan on his computer.

* * *

The older Digidestined sat around the park. Matt was perched atop the slide, TK and Kari on the swings, Tai and Sora on the monkey bars, and Izzy and Joe on a bench (Mimi was of course in America). The mood was a solemn one as Tai, TK, and Kari recounted the day's events starting with the Digiport opening, the emergence of the three beams of light, Davis's digivice, and their trip to the Digital World, but most importantly, they told the others about their new enemy, the Digimon Emperor.

"…so what you're saying then," said Matt after they'd finished, "is that somehow the Digimon Emperor prevents our digimon from digivolving, yet this 'Davis' character somehow managed to bypass that with something called 'Armor Digivolution'? That's a little weird."

"This IS the Digital World we're talking about…" mused Izzy.

"But if the Digimon Emperor is capturing and enslaving digimon…what will happen to our partners?" asked Sora.

Everyone sat in silence absorbing this new information when suddenly, Izzy's laptop, which had supposedly been shut down, cleared its throat. All heads turned towards the machine as it cleared its throat again.

Izzy curiously and cautiously picked up the machine.

"…hello?" he asked. The only response was another throat clearing, so he decided to open the screen.

"I'd point that thing away from yourself if I was you Izzy," said the computer prompting Izzy to quickly turn the machine around and point the opening screen to an empty patch of ground.

As soon as the screen was fully open, there was a bright flash of light, and when it dissipated George Helltower stood before them, brushing grass off his pants, and a little worse for wear, but smiling widely.

"Hey guys," he said, "what's up?"

"The Digimon Emperor, that's what," muttered Sora darkly.

* * *

Davis was lying on his bed throwing around a soccer ball.

"Man," he thought, "I just can't stop thinking about Veemon."

CRASH!

While not paying attention to his throwing, Davis accidentally broke a lamp.

* * *

Cody swung his shinai again. Since it was a nice warm evening, he was practicing on his balcony. He turned and swung again and practiced a few blocks, but though his form was perfect, his mind was racing.

"The Digital World…it sounds so interesting. I'd like to go there and explore," he thought as he swung yet again.

Not far away, Yolei was jerry-rigging Cody's computer for like the 50th time. Usually, she'd be fascinated by this task, but today her attention was divided, and that could only lead to disaster.

"I don't care if they don't want me around. Tomorrow I'm going to the Digital World!" she thought, as she slapped the panel back onto the computer.

As she tried to turn the computer back on, a short circuit occurred, temporarily blacking out the apartment.

"…oops," said Yolei as she got back to work.

* * *

At the mere mention of the Emperor, George's expression turned dark and he muttered "so they've found out about him", but only for a fraction of a second, he quickly regained his composure.

Aloud he said, "Yes well, I'm doing the best I can, but for some reason I still haven't been able to achieve full power."

To demonstrate his point, he pulled out his crest. What had once been a glowing source of power and inspiration sat dull and lifeless on George's chest. If anything, it was glowing with a dark light, but more likely it hadn't recharged at all since it had been used to free the Sovereigns about a year ago.

"It's curious," said the former Warrior of Power, "this thing used to have boundless energy, but now…it's almost as if something has prevented it from reaching above a certain power level."

"You mean kind of like how our digimon are unable to digivolve because of the Emperor," remarked Joe.

"Sort of" replied George, whose face had gone dark again at the mentioning of the Emperor, while he quickly regained composure again, "but different. You see, it's one thing to prevent a digimon from digivolving, since a digimon has to change form to do that, but this crest was always powerful, and it never needed to change forms to do so. In other words, it's naturally powerful, and needs no source whereas digimon need to eat in order to have energy to digivolve."

"Well," said Izzy, "perhaps we'll receive some answers while fighting the Emperor."

This time, George didn't try to hide the dark expression that filled his features.

"No," he said, "with your digimon partners unable to digivolve you'll be nothing but sitting ducks. It's too dangerous for you to return to the Digital World; let me deal with the Emperor myself. I may be lower on power than ever, but I can always hold my own against punks like him."

"So you're forbidding us to return to the Digital World," said Matt, "who died and made you the boss?"

"Griffinmon actually," said George casually, "besides, your digivices are incompatible with the interface program to open the Digiports. You'd need me or my digivice to let you in, and I've got better things to do than babysitting you. If it's any consolation, I'll try to locate your partners and send them through so you know they're safe."

"…about not being able to get into the Digital World," began Izzy, "I've been meaning to ask you something. How is it your digivice, which is the same model as ours, is able to open Digiports at will, yet ours can't?"

"Appearances can be deceiving Izzy," said George holding up his digivice which, on the outside, looked exactly like theirs, "I've had millennia to do some tinkering with this thing. Your digivice models came from the blueprints I drew when I reverse engineered this little device, so they don't have all the cool gadgets, applications, and functions mine has."

He paused for a moment thoughtfully and continued.

"Although, now that I think about it, my digivice has always been able to open Digiports whenever I needed it to, even before I knew how it worked…maybe it has more to do with the fact that this device is special since it was the first one ever made, and it was made by the Digital World itself…" he sighed, "I suppose there are some aspects of digivices that even I'll never understand."

At the words "tinkering", "blueprints", and "reverse engineered", Izzy's eyes grew wide at the thought of taking apart the digivice, and he opened his mouth to ask the thousand and one questions that were now invading his mind, but was cut off by a stern look from Matt.

"Here's one thing I'll bet you don't know Mr. Smartypants," said Matt, "we CAN get into the Digital World without your help."

George froze for a moment, "explain," he said.

TK and Kari told George about Davis, the new model of digivice he possessed, and Armor Digivolution.

"Interesting," remarked George, "I must ask Gennai about this."

"So, how about letting us back into the Digital World now?" demanded Matt

George sighed, "I suppose as long as you're with at least one of the new Digidestined, I've got no right to forbid your entry, just remember, the Emperor is dangerous. Do not underestimate him even though he's just a kid."

With that, he turned around and began to open a Digiport through the laptop, when Izzy slammed it shut.

"If you don't mind," said the Child of Knowledge, "I've got a few questions for you…"

"I'm a little busy fighting an evil dictator Izzy," sighed George, "so make it quick."

Izzy took a deep breath and began, "how did you take apart the digivice, and more importantly how did you put it back together again? Where are the blueprints you sketched? What sort of applications, gadgets, and programs does your digivice have? Where did the new model of digivice come from? Are you going to study it?"

The boy genius stopped, gasping for air as George, with an amused look on his face, began to answer the stream of questions.

"In order," he began, "with conventional tools, very carefully, I'd tell you but then I'd have to kill you, a built in laser, long range digivolution, data collection, and wireless routing through the lenses of my sunglasses to name a few, I have no idea, and of course I'm going to study it."

"Then may I help with your research?" asked Izzy eagerly, "I was going to procure a device for my own in depth analysis, but you appear to be much more qualified at studying these devices than me."

George smiled, "very well, I supposed I can stick around for a little while, but not too long eh? I'm on a tight schedule that expects me to topple the Emperor in a week…max."

"Sometimes I think you expect too much of yourself," laughed TK, "no one man can possibly do that, not even you."

"Maybe not," muttered George, "but I've got to try."

Aloud he asked, "so, which one of you volunteers to have me over while I'm around?"

The Digidestined sweatdropped knowing full well how much the former Warrior of Power could eat…and how messily too (being in the Digital World for a few thousand years certainly hadn't helped his manners).

Knowing the reason for their hesitation George smirked.

"I promise the only thing you'll have to worry about is giving me a place to sleep; I'll take care of the meals myself."

"In that case," said Tai, "you can stay with us. Izzy's place isn't far, and you have the added benefit of being in a historic location."

George raised an eyebrow out of curiosity.

"That's where I was when Diaboromon was defeated," said Tai smugly.

George sighed…this was going to be a long night.

"I think he'd be better off staying at my house," said Izzy, "for one thing, he'll be working on the digivice at my place anyway, and for two, my house has a spare room, so he can have his own space."

George nodded, "that works for me. I'll meet you there in about an hour."

"Prodigious!" said Izzy.

"Next thing to do is determine where we go from here," said Joe.

"Yeah," said Matt, "if there are new Digidestined around, are we even needed anymore?"

"Don't talk like that!" said George, "if that were the case, I'd be long outdated, and, as you can see I still serve a function here and there. What you can do now is serve as mentors and give guidance to the new guys…kinda like I did for you guys a few years back. Our job as Digidestined is never complete."

"Okay," said Kari, "so like Joe said, what now?"

"We head to back to the Digital World tomorrow after school," said Tai.

"I'm in," said Sora.

"Me too," said Izzy.

TK and Kari nodded.

"Of course I'll be there," said George.

"Tomorrow?" said Joe looking crestfallen, "I can't make it. I've got an oral test on laryngitis."

"Yeah, and my band's got a gig," said Matt.

"Don't worry about it," said Tai, "we can handle things for now."

"Alright," said Matt, "but you'd better call us if you need us."

After a few "so longs" and "catch you laters", the Digidestined and George went their separate ways. Tai walked Sora and Kari home, Matt wandered off in the general direction of his apartment, Joe actually headed towards the Inoue convenience store to buy himself some energy drinks (he was going to pull an all-nighter despite the fact that he knew the material cold), Izzy walked home whistling, and TK headed back to his apartment complex.

Along the way he thought, "hmmm, I wonder what George will think of the new Digidestined."

He chuckled at the thought of Davis meeting George and continued on his way.

* * *

"I'm done!" Yolei called, as the ancient computer whirred to life before her.

"Thank you Yolei," said Mrs. Hida, "but I couldn't help but noticing that you were a little distracted tonight. Is something wrong?"

"No ma'am, it's just that I'm thinking about all the homework I've got to do tonight. You'd think teachers would be a little nicer on the first day back…" Yolei lied, as she stepped out onto the balcony to conspire with Cody.

Cody was still swinging his shinai around when Yolei stepped over to him.

"Listen," she whispered, "I don't care whether they want us or not, tomorrow we're going to force Izzy to take us to the Digital World."

"Force is such a strong word," said Cody, "perhaps we should start by asking nicely."

Yolei groaned. "Fine!" she said, "whatever you want to call it. Just make sure you're in the computer lab after school tomorrow. Izzy's bound to be there!"

With that she left the Hida apartment and began the "long" walk to her family's apartment and convenience store a few stories down.

* * *

An hour later the doorbell of the Izumi residence announced the arrival of George Helltower. Izzy eagerly opened the door and allowed the trench coat clad warrior in…then he noticed a few things. For one, George was hauling an enormous backpack which seemed to be moving, for another, George appeared quite disheveled, for yet another, there was another nasty gash across his forehead, and finally despite it being nighttime, George was wearing a pair of sunglasses (rather old sunglasses at that).

Not daunted in the least, the former warrior stepped in and asked one question.

"Where do I sleep?"

* * *

"So Tai, what do you think of the new guys?" asked Sora.

After dropping his sister off at home, Tai had continued walking Sora home, and her mom had insisted he stay for dinner (and Tai didn't really object either given his mom's cooking). Although the meal had long since been finished, the two teens had retreated to Sora's room and began talking.

Tai looked at his redheaded girlfriend for a few minutes and sighed.

"If George is willing to give them a chance, far be it from me to criticize them…but still, why Davis?" he said.

Sora giggled. "What's the matter Tai," she asked, "afraid of being completely replaced by another goggle wearing soccer player?"

Tai sighed, she could read him like an open book, which was, of course, one of the many reasons he was attracted to her.

"Well, yeah," he said, "with Davis around, I feel like I'm not needed anymore."

"Hey," said Sora cuddling up reassuringly behind her boyfriend, "don't think like that. George said that while we may not be able to fight right now, we can still act as advisers and mentors to the new Digidestined."

"Yeah easy for him to say," said Tai, "he's still fighting…besides, do I seem like a good role model to you?"

"Well yeah," said Sora, "and just because George is still fighting doesn't mean he's in a better position than we are…there's something strange going on with him and the Emperor, but I'm not quite sure what."

"What makes you say that?" asked Tai.

"You may not have noticed, but every time we mentioned the Emperor, George's demeanor hardened. Only for a fraction of a second, mind you, but he still reacted in a way I've never seen him react before."

"Now that you mention it," said Tai recalling Patamon's words from earlier, "he did seem rather dead set against us going back to the Digital World…it's almost as if he's hiding something."

At this time, Tai's cell phone rang. His mom wanted him to come home.

The goggled teen sighed, "alright, I'll be home soon mom…bye."

He looked up to see Sora looking bemused.

"What're we going to do about George?" he asked, as he pulled on his green jacket.

"We'll confront him tomorrow. In the meantime, don't worry about it too much," said Sora.

The two shared a 'goodnight kiss', and Tai went off into the night.

* * *

"Dare I ask what happened to you?" asked Izzy, as George reclined on the bed.

"It's a long story," said the Warrior, pulling a can of beer from his bag and opening it.

"Ah, I'd rather prefer you not drink that stuff in here," said Izzy.

"I can't help it," said George taking a big gulp, "it's genetic."

Izzy sighed, "fine, whatever…now what happened to you?"

"The usual. I was attacked by the Emperor's slaves," was the reply.

"But I thought the Emperor didn't show up at night," said Izzy.

"He doesn't, but that doesn't mean he leaves the DigiWorld defenseless you know," replied George, "his minions are still out there guarding his territory,"

"But why didn't you just transport home?" asked Izzy.

"Can't" replied George after another gulp, "security measures."

"Explain," said Izzy.

"To make sure my home base can't be invaded, I made sure that all DigiPorts on Upload Island, except the one in my control room, were destroyed. The one in my control room is hooked via my old laptop. The funny thing is, that laptop exists simultaneously in this world and the DigiWorld, so I routed the DigiPort so that it could access anywhere in the real world, but could only be accessed via its counterpart in the real world. Ingenious, but rather inconveniencing since the counterpart is also routed to only be accessed via its counterpart in the DigiWorld."

"A security loop?" asked Izzy, "clever."

"Anyways," said George taking out another beer, "since I couldn't get back to Upload Island, I transported myself to Driver. Unfortunately, in my haste I forgot that the sector I chose was under the Emperor's domain, and was attacked on my arrival. After breaking a couple of rings, I staggered home and recharged, but given the scale of the assault, this was the best it could do. Anyways, when I told Crocmon I was going to be away for a while, he wanted to come with, so naturally, I had to take the others…"

"Others?" asked Izzy looking at George's bag with a hint of fear.

"It's all right guys," said George, "c'mon out."

Out popped, DemiCrocmon, Koromon, Patamon, Gatomon, and a strange little blue digimon.

"Hey, I'm DemiVeemon," said the tiny blue digimon, "where's Davis?"

"You'll see him tomorrow," said George, "it's too late to be visiting people now."

"But I wanna see Davis NOW!" exclaimed DemiVeemon.

George pulled out a chocolate bar and gave it to DemiVeemon.

"What's this?" asked the tiny blue digimon.

"Food," replied George, "eat it."

DemiVeemon put the sweet in his mouth. Instantly, he forgot all about not seeing Davis, but decided he wanted more.

"If you behave I'll give you more in the morning," said George.

DemiVeemon nodded and went to sleep without any complaints.

"Boy you sure know how to deal with digimon," said Izzy, impressed.

"You learn a thing or five after a few thousand years, even if you're a slow learner like myself," said George finishing his second beer, "but the very first lesson is that the fastest way to a digimon's heart is through its stomach."

"So what else do you have in that bag of yours?" asked the Child of Knowledge.

"Stuff," said George shrugging, "and I hate to be rude, but if you don't mind I would like to get some sleep."

"Oh, yeah, sure," said Izzy as he left.

A few moments later, the former Warrior of Power fell soundly asleep.

* * *

The next day, Izzy and George were walking to Odaiba High together. George was wearing a bulging backpack and was sans trench coat. As they approached the building, George's T-shirt and jeans attracted the Principal's attention, after all there were strict dress codes, and George found himself seated in the principal's office before the school day even began.

Principal Toyama was usually a patient man, but when someone was disobeying the dress code, he got mad.

He ranted and raved in front of the unfazed Helltower for five whole minutes before realizing the [seemingly] young man in front of him wasn't one of the students at his institution. Nonetheless, the principal had a nagging feeling he'd seen this individual before.

Mid-sentence, he stopped his rant and cleared his throat.

"You don't attend this school do you?" he asked.

"Nope," replied George.

"Then might I inquire as to who you are and what it is you are doing here?" asked Toyama.

"Certainly," said George, having thought of a cover story the night before, "I'm George Samuel Helltower, you might recognize me as the videogame tycoon from the States. I came here to Japan to visit my friend Izzy Izumi who goes to Odaiba High."

"Ah yes Mr. Helltower," said the principal, all traces of hostility gone, "please excuse my outburst earlier. I just can't stand when students violate the dress code."

"Quite understandable," replied George, "listen, could you keep a secret?"

"Certainly, certainly," said Toyama.

"I'm not just here visiting Izzy," said George in a low voice, "I'm here to scout around and see how well my game system would be received here. You see, my sales department has been complaining that I'm not satisfying the international market for my system, so I'm here to see if there's an international market to be satisfied."

"I see," said the principal, "makes perfect sense to me…so I take it you're 'undercover'?"

"Indeed, so obviously this encounter never happened," said George conspiratorially.

"Of course, of course," said the principal waving his hand generously.

"Excellent, I'm glad we have an understanding…would you care for a sample of my work?" asked George, "I'm giving away a few and asking for input. I'd be honored if your family would test this for me."

George pulled a box out of his backpack. The box contained one of George's Virtual Reality gaming systems and a few programs that could be installed.

Principal Toyama grabbed the box eagerly and said, "Thank you Mr. Helltower, I'm sure that I—I mean my family—will enjoy this gift."

With that, George walked out of Principal Toyama's office. What the principal didn't notice was that Helltower's backpack was moving around slightly.

* * *

The five digimon breathed a sigh of relief as George carefully let them out of his bag. He had gone into the computer room and, making sure nobody was around, opened his backpack.

"Alright guys, hide here. I'll be back with the others later," said the fallen warrior, "to tide you over I brought snacks."

As the five digimon hid themselves among the room's clutter, George passed out rations of chocolate bars and chips. Carefully closing the door behind him, George left the computer room and headed towards his next destination, Izzy's classroom…

* * *

At long last, the school day ended and Izzy ran to the computer room, with George right on his heals. As Izzy checked the DigiPort, George went around throwing out all the wrappers and bags left by the Digimon, who, by now, had gathered by Izzy.

"Just as I thought," said Izzy, "the gate's closed…"

"That shouldn't be a problem," said George pulling out a beer, "I can open it".

To prove his point, George sent the digimon ahead to the Digital World.

"See?" he asked smiling, "piece of cake."

At that moment, Yolei and Cody entered their expressions were determined to say the least.

"I knew I'd find you here Izzy!" said Yolei accusingly.

Cody cut her off and motioned toward George. Yolei stopped her tirade and blushed as she realized she could have just revealed the Digital World to an outsider.

George raised an eyebrow and looked at Izzy.

"You gotta be kidding me? These are the new guys? Next you'll tell me the third one is a miniature Tai!" he said.

At that moment, Davis appeared flanked by TK and Kari.

George smacked his head exasperated.

"Hey guys, what's up?" said Davis.

"Who's _he_?" asked Cody suspiciously pointing at George.

"_He_ happens to be the leader of the Digidestined, thank you very much," said George.

"The who?" asked Davis.

George sighed and took a gulp of his beverage.

"I'm George Helltower of the Martian Digidestined, and you must be the newbies," said the former Warrior of Power.

Davis thought for a moment, and then he recalled something Gatomon had said the day before.

"Oh, so you're the George the others were talking about yesterday. How's it going?" he said, "and what do you mean Martian?"

At the mentioning of George's identity, Yolei's eyes lit up.

"You mean _the_ George Helltower, the one who invented the virtual reality gaming system so popular in the US now?" she asked, shoving Davis aside.

"That would be me," said George, "and by Martian I mean Mars, Pennsylvania, not the planet…although truth be told I'm not fully human."

"What do you mean by that?" asked Cody, wary as always.

"I'd rather not get into that at the moment," replied George casually taking another gulp.

They stood in silence a few minutes assessing each other.

Finally, Yolei snapped.

"Can we _please_ just go to the Digital World already?" she demanded, "I can't wait to slay some dragons!"

"Ha! You probably wouldn't even be able to beat the first level," scoffed Davis.

"Will there be any close quarter combat missions?" asked Cody, "I'd like to try my kendo skills against a computer."

After each of the three new Digidestined's outbursts, George grew angrier and angrier. He threw down his can and crushed it as he advanced towards the unsuspecting trio, flames of rage burning in his normally green eyes. Izzy, TK, and Kari backed away slowly.

"YOU THINK THIS IS A GAME? WELL? DO YOU?" he shouted, veins pulsing in his eyes.

"Isn't it?" asked Yolei, instantly regretting her response.

"NO THIS IS NOT A GAME! THE DIGITAL WORLD IS IN TROUBLE AND YOU DUMBASSES THINK IT'S A GAME? I'VE SPENT THOUSANDS OF YEARS DEFENDING THIS WORLD FROM EVIL DIGIMON WHO'D JUST LOVE FOR ME TO LET DOWN MY GUARD SO THEY CAN TAKE OVER. I'VE LOST QUITE A FEW FRIENDS THANK YOU VERY—"

George's rant was cut short by the arrival of Tai and Sora.

"You might wanna keep it down George," said Tai, "we could hear you all the way from the high school."

George harrumphed and stomped away from the new Digidestined, who were cowering in a corner, and mumbled something about "more Digimon Emperors".

Sora approached him, "so I guess this would be a bad time to ask you what you know about the Emperor?" she asked.

"He's evil," George said, "That's all you need to know."

Sora opened her mouth to respond, but George stood up taking out his digivice.

"Are we going or not," he said grumpily.

The other eight people nodded and began to fish out their digivices, when Principal Toyama appeared in the doorway.

"Ah, there you are Mr. Helltower," he said, "I thought I heard you shouting. Is everything alright?"

"Everything is fine; I was just showing these guys another of my gadgets. Perhaps you'd like to see a demonstration as well?" asked George pushing the principal out of the computer room.

"Sounds great!" said Toyama as the two began walking towards his office.

Unbeknownst to the eager principal, George flashed the 'V' sign back into the computer lab.

The others breathed a sigh of relief.

"Whew, another close call averted by George," said Tai.

Sora, Izzy, TK, and Kari nodded.

"All ashore that's going ashore!" yelled Davis.

At this point, they finally opened the DigiPort and transported to the Digital World.

* * *

Yolei and Cody stood in shock. Where had once been a computer room, there was now a grassy hill, where the only shade came from a black obelisk in the distance. Davis too was in shock, but he recovered faster than before.

Suddenly, Cody pointed at Yolei. "You're clothes," he said simply.

Yolei looked down at herself. She was now wearing red parachute pants with boots that went up to mid-shin. She now had a light blue shirt over which she wore a tan vest, and on her hands were white gloves. Gone was her bandana, only to be replaced by a loud orange helmet.

"Oh wow, I'm dressed like one of the cool crowd," she exclaimed, and then looked at Cody, "and so are you!"

Cody looked down and saw that he too was wearing new clothes. He now had on a tan tunic with purple stripes at the sleeves and neck. Furthermore, his pants were now purple, and he wore brown and white shoes.

"How odd…" he remarked, "but comfortable."

"Oh yeah," said Davis, "I forgot that this place comes with a new wardrobe…I wonder if they've got anything surfer style."

As Davis and Yolei continued to admire their new clothes, Cody walked up to the older Digidestined.

"Kids these days have no sense of values," Sora was saying, "when I was a kid I showed a lot more respect whenever I received a gift."

"Sora, I hate to say this, but you're sounding just like my mom," said Kari.

Tai chuckled, and then noticed the serious expression on Cody's face.

"What's up Cody?" he asked.

The 4th grader looked Tai straight in the eyes and asked, "why does George hate us?"

"…ummm, well, you see…it's quite simple…" stammered Tai, a little unnerved by Cody's unwavering gaze.

"Allow me to explain," said Izzy, "George doesn't hate you; he just gets upset whenever someone insinuates that this world isn't real."

"You mean this place is real?" asked Cody, wonder showing in his eyes.

"Of course it is," said the Child of Knowledge, "and the creatures here are every bit as alive as we are."

"Alright, that explains why he was upset when we thought this world was a video game, but what did he mean by 'I spent thousands of years defending this world'? He can't be much older than 20," asked Cody.

"I think I'll let him explain that one to you," said Izzy, "just know that things are not always what they seem to be."

Cody nodded respectfully, but continued to ponder the mysterious mannerisms of George Samuel Helltower.

By now, Davis and Yolei had finished admiring their clothing, and Davis was yelling for someone called 'Veemon'.

Suddenly, his call was answered.

"Davish!" said a bipedal blue lizard as he ran up a neighboring hill, "I brought Agumon and his friends with me."

Also appearing on the horizon were Gatomon, Patamon, Agumon, and what appeared to be a pygmy crocodile.

Veemon bounded over to Davis, Gatomon ran over to Kari, Patamon flew onto TK's hat, and Agumon headed straight for Tai. The crocodile however, stopped a few feet away from everyone and looked around.

"Where's George?" asked the reptilian digimon.

"He had to stay behind," said Tai, "but you're always welcome to stick with us."

Izzy and Sora meanwhile were calling out for their partners.

"Biyomon!"

"Tentomon!"

Patamon, Gatomon, and Agumon shared a sad look, before Gatomon nodded.

The feline digimon walked over to the redheaded Digidestined and shook her head sadly.

"I'm sorry," she said, "but Biyomon and Tentomon have been captured by the Digimon Emperor."

Sora's eyes narrowed as she thought back to her confrontation of George earlier.

"Why didn't Helltower tell us?" she said angrily.

"To be honest," said Agumon, "he didn't know either…it only happened two days ago, and he's been too busy to keep track of everything. It's not his fault!"

"Fine," grumbled Sora, "but there's something he's hiding from us, and I won't rest until I find out what it is!"

Tai walked over to comfort his angry girlfriend as Yolei and Cody examined the digimon in shock. Each one took turns introducing themselves to them.

"…They can talk," said Yolei.

"This certainly defies logic," said Cody, as he knelt down to examine Crocmon.

"I have a digimon partner and you don't," scoffed Davis, as Yolei fumed.

Cody however was thinking…Agumon was Tai's partner, Gatomon was Kari's partner, Patamon was TK's partner, and Veemon was Davis's partner. Sora and Izzy's partners had been captured, and Crocmon had asked for George so…

"Are you George Helltower's partner?" he asked the reptilian digimon.

"Certainly," replied Crocmon, "you must be one of the new Digidestined I heard about from Veemon."

"How well do you know your partner?" asked the 4th grader.

"We're best buds," came the reply, "I know everything there is to know about him."

"Would you mind answering a few questions then?" asked Cody eagerly.

"If they're questions about myself, no. If they're questions about George, then you should ask him yourself," replied the crocodile.

* * *

As this was going on, the Digimon Emperor sat on his throne in his control room. He saw the arrival of the Digidestined, and was especially pleased to see Sora and Izzy.

"Welcome back to the Digital World, I've got a little surprise for you," he cackled before hitting a few buttons on his control panel to dispatch some of his slaves, and hitting another button to activate his pitfall trap.

* * *

Cody was about to ask Crocmon about the Digital World, when suddenly, the ground beneath Davis's feet gave away. The goggled boy fell into the deep abyss and Veemon charged in to rescue him…both disappeared into the inky blackness of the pit.

"Oh my," said Yolei, "the ground opened up and swallowed him!"

Suddenly, not two feet from where they were standing, an orb of electricity struck the ground and blew everyone backwards.

Izzy involuntarily shuddered as he saw the source, a massive insect with a helmeted head that had a horn jutting out of it. The exoskeleton was blue, but in some places there were gray cybernetic components. The bug's four wings gave off a faint buzzing sound, though they were nearly invisible, as the insect flew. Under the helmet was a set of organic mandibles. A dark ring encircled one of the bug's four arms.

"…Tentomon," Izzy said quietly.

"I am Kabuterimon," corrected the insectoid digimon, "and the Emperor has sent me to destroy you."

Static electricity began to build in his arms, and he brought them together.

"Long Live the Emperor! Electro Shocker!"

Another sphere of electricity shot down towards the Digidestined, this one more powerful and accurate than the previous one.

"Move!" yelled Izzy.

Cody and Yolei were frozen in fear. They could hear the sizzling of electrons as the orb grew closer, and felt their hair start to stand on end. This was no game…

TK and Izzy grabbed Cody and hauled him out of harm's way with Patamon and Crocmon following.

Sora, Kari, and Tai picked up Yolei and carried the stunned girl away from the orb's path, with Gatomon and Agumon bringing up the rear.

The orb impacted the hill in a cloud of smoke and dust.

By the time the cloud had cleared, the two groups had separated and were getting away.

A shadow fell on Kabuterimon as another digimon's presence blocked out the sun. This digimon was an orange and yellow bird whose feathers appeared to be made of flames. She had clawed talons that gleamed menacingly, and her beak was full of razor sharp (and somewhat crooked) teeth. She wore a dark ring around her neck, so her normally blue eyes were glowing red.

"The Emperor would like to know of your progress," she said.

"They've split up," said Kabuterimon, "I can't handle this alone."

"Then I shall assist you," said the avian digimon as she flew after the larger group.

* * *

Davis woke up to find himself hanging from a cliff.

"Whoa, have I been sleep walking again?" he asked, "and where am I anyways?"

Suddenly, he heard a cold chuckle from above him, and he looked up to see a caped figure with dark blue hair and purple sunglasses.

"You're just…hanging out," cackled the figure.

"Who the hell are you?" demanded Davis.

"You're worst nightmare come to life," replied the figure.

Davis looked dumbfounded for a moment.

"I swear I didn't do it Principal Toyama!" he said.

"What're you talking about?" asked the figure impatiently.

Davis continued to look dumbfounded.

"You said you were my worst nightmare come to life…but you're not Toyama ordering the teachers to give me extra homework…or my parents suggesting that Jun be my tutor…no, no, nothing about this adds up at all…then again I was never good at math in the first place," said Davis.

"SILENCE!" yelled the figure, cutting off Davis's ramblings, "I concede to not being that nightmare, but I am at least as bad if not worse."

"…so you're a demonic soccer ball from hell that tries to bite my legs off every time I try to kick it?" asked Davis, "you don't look like that either…"

"Just how stupid are you anyways?" demanded the figure, "I'm the Digimon Emperor!"

"You?" asked Davis incredulously, "but you're a kid just like me!"

"Foolish boy," scoffed the Emperor, "if I was 'just like you' I'd be the one hanging from a cliff…which reminds me."

The Emperor pushed a series of buttons on his control panel, and the face of the opposite cliff turned around revealing Veemon similarly strapped to the cliff.

"Davish!" said Veemon, taking a look around, "nice view isn't it?"

"I haven't had time to look," said Davis, "quick, you've got to armor digivolve!"

"Just one problem," interjected the Emperor, "don't you need these in order to pull off that little stunt?"

The tyrant pulled out Davis's digivice and mini computer from his pockets and tossed them around.

"Shit!" swore Davis.

* * *

Cody had finally recovered enough to run on his own. Kabuterimon had, apparently, chosen to chase them and was buzzing in closer and closer.

Suddenly, at the edge of a desert, Crocmon stopped.

TK and Izzy looked at him in confusion.

"Keep going," said the reptilian digimon, "I'll hold him off."

"That's self destruction," said Izzy, "you can't be serious!"

Crocmon drew himself up to his full height.

"I am a Warrior of Power. We run from no one," he said proudly.

"But," began Cody.

"Leave him," said TK sorrowfully pushing Cody into the desert.

The last thing they heard before they were out of range was the brave cry of the warrior's attack.

"Flaming Breath!"

As the humans and digimon continued running, Cody looked back apprehensively.

An electrical explosion could be seen in the distance.

He waited until they ran into the refuge of a decrepit Coliseum, and then he rounded on his companions.

"Why?" he demanded, "why did we leave him behind?"

TK put a reassuring arm on the 4th grader.

"There was no arguing with him. Trust me, once he and George make up their minds nothing can change their decision…" he said.

"Besides," said Izzy sadly, "like he said, a Warrior of Power never runs…it must be disastrous for him and George to not be at full fighting capacity now, and he wanted to prove that despite his disadvantage he could still be useful…"

Cody sighed; here too was another mystery he'd never be able to solve until he spoke to George…

Suddenly, they saw Kabuterimon flying towards them charging up for another attack, but before he launched, a semi beaten Crocmon jumped onto his back, causing his aim to falter. Instead, he hit the floor of the Coliseum, which began to collapse entirely.

"Hey, bug brain; I'm not done with you yet!" yelled the reptilian digimon, "Croc Bite!"

As the floor collapsed, the Digidestined could do nothing to help Crocmon since they too were falling with the debris.

* * *

Yolei was terrified; her face was as white as a sheet.

When they had seen Kabuterimon fly in the opposite direction, they had thought themselves to be safe for the moment (naturally they were worried about the others, but everyone has some kind of survival instinct)…until the flaming bird had descended on them, that is.

From the moment the avian digimon had appeared, Sora had a haunted look in her eyes, for this was Birdramon, her partner.

"Meteor Wing!"

Another volley of gigantic fireballs crashed around the Digidestined as they fought their way through a jungle. Fortunately, the bird's aim was off due to the amount of foliage that disrupted her flight.

Suddenly, they found themselves in a clearing. On the other side was a building that looked suspiciously like an ancient temple which would provide good protection from the aerial assault of their pursuer…unfortunately, the massive amount of stairs precluded a direct approach as Birdramon would fry them on their way up. A difficult problem indeed, but Tai had a solution.

"Sora, you, Kari, and Yolei head for the temple. Agumon and I will hold off Birdramon," he said.

"No Tai, I won't let you do that!" Sora exclaimed.

"Sora," said Tai, "I love you, but now is not the time to argue."

Indeed, Birdramon burst forth from the foliage right in front of them.

Tai and Agumon pushed the others toward the temple.

"Ready Agumon?" he asked.

The orange dinosaur nodded.

"You dare oppose me?" scoffed Birdramon, "I suppose it's your funeral then."

"Meteor Wing!"

"Pepper Breath!"

Sora and the others ran towards the temple, and had begun ascending the stairs, when the explosion occurred. Sora's heart plummeted, but she kept moving. Tai's sacrifice would not be in vein.

* * *

Cody awoke. He tried to remember where he was, but his mind seemed scrambled. He remembered the Digital World…and Kabuterimon…and Crocmon…instantly, it all came back to him, the reptilian digimon's valiant sacrifice, plummeting through the Coliseum's floor, and hitting his head.

Cody looked around. It was dark except for where light shined through the missing floor pieces above. The tunnel they had fallen into was about 20 feet below the ground, and it didn't look like there was a good way to climb out.

One of the beams of light fell onto a pedestal. On the pedestal sat a curious yellow object. The object was shaped like a dome, with small 'toes' sticking out the backend. A strange pattern was depicted on the object's front that looked sort of like a pair of glasses, and at the top there was a hole with a mini drill sticking out of it. Several other marks could be seen around it.

At about this time, TK, Izzy, and Patamon also woke up.

"Oww my head," griped Patamon.

"Hmmm," said Izzy, "I appear to be in one piece."

Then he noticed the object. His eyes widened as he saw they symbol on the front.

"That's the Crest of Knowledge," he exclaimed, "which means that's another DigiEgg. Prodigious! We could use some more help now."

He walked over to the pedestal and attempted to remove the object…it didn't budge.

"Curious," thought the boy genius, but then he remembered that Tai had said that he couldn't lift the DigiEgg of Courage, while Davis could…so maybe…

"Cody," said Izzy, turning to the small boy, "I think you should try."

"Me?" asked Cody, "…all right, if you're sure Izzy."

Cody walked over to the pedestal and put his hands around the DigiEgg. It came up with no resistance whatsoever.

"Curious," said Cody, but was cut off as a purple beam of light shone from the hole in the pedestal.

Similar to before, a solid being was formed within the light, and he eagerly jumped out.

This time, though, the being was a yellow quadruped with a tan shell that covered his back, a tan armor plate that covered the top of his head, a tail, and four armored legs that ended in three clawed feet. His ears were similar to miniature bird's wings, and he had a red diamond and four short red stripes on his head armor.

"Why'd ya have ta wake me," drawled the being in a thick southern accent, "I was havin' such a nice dream."

"…who're you?" asked Cody staring at the creature wide-eyed.

"I'm Armadillomon, and you and I are partners," exclaimed the creature happily.

"Partners?" asked Cody, "Like TK and Patamon, Izzy and Kabuterimon, and George and Crocmon?"

"Yep, you and I are gonna be best buds," said Armadillomon smiling.

While Cody was processing this information, there was a loud crash from above, and a very battered Crocmon fell through one of the holes and landed next to Izzy, promptly de-digivolving all the way back to his baby form, Botamon.

Cody noticed the injured digimon and began to understand some of George's frustration with their earlier behavior.

"…this place isn't just one big video game," he said, "the digimon here are just as alive as I am...I learned a valuable lesson today, and will continue to try to learn as much from the Digital World as I possibly can…but I don't even know where to begin. This world makes no sense to me, yet it's not my place to question it."

"On the contrary," said Izzy, "the only way to learn is to ask questions. How do you think I got to this point?"

"You constantly asked questions," said Cody, "but what good is a question without an answer?"

"The answers are for you to figure out, but if there's ever a problem you can't solve on your own, you can always come to me. Together we'll find a solution that satisfies your curiosity," explained Izzy.

"Alright Izzy, it's a deal!" exclaimed Cody.

With that, the DigiEgg of Knowledge began to glow.

* * *

Sora slumped to the ground crying as soon as they reached the sanctity of the temple.

"Stupid Tai," she said, "why'd I have to go and fall in love with you?"

Kari went over to comfort her brother's girlfriend, while Yolei and Gatomon took a look around.

"Hey," shouted Yolei, "what's this?"

The object in question was also sitting on a pedestal. It was gray and had two wing-like projections coming out of it. A purple heart was displayed on its front.

Seeing that the others were too upset to come take a look, Yolei decided to pick up the object and show them.

She placed her hands around the object and lifted; it came up with no problem…not that she had been expecting a problem mind you, but it should still be duly noted that there wasn't a problem anyways (and now I'm just rambling…)

As she turned away, a red beam of light shot out of the pedestal. Within the beam something solid was forming.

Before Yolei knew what was going on, a feathered bipedal bird popped out of the light. The feathers on his torso and wings were a rusty red-brown color, while the ones on his head were white. He had a yellow beak and talons. His wings ended in three black tips and his talons ended in three white claws. He had a short red-brown tail, and a 'V' pattern on his forehead and squiggles under his blue eyes. Finally, he was wearing a black headband with a single feather sticking out the back.

"Greetings, I am Hawkmon," said the bird in a proper British accent, "and I'm your partner."

"W-w-what?" stammered Yolei.

"Together we shall fight to defeat the forces of evil," said Hawkmon.

"Fight? But I'm not a fighter. The only time I fight is with my sisters over whose turn it is to wash the dishes," said Yolei.

By now, Gatomon had aroused the others and had brought them over.

"Are you saying you refuse to fight?" asked Hawkmon incredulously.

Yolei nodded wordlessly.

"Hmph! How did I wind up with a defective human?" asked the bird digimon.

Sora walked over to Yolei.

"Do you want Tai to die?" she asked the younger girl.

"…no," replied Yolei uncertainly, "but…can he die here?"

"Yes," replied Sora, "the Digital World is just as real as our world, and the creatures herein are as alive as us humans, but the Digimon Emperor is trying to enslave them and turn them into mindless killing machines like Birdramon."

"…" Yolei had no response.

"Listen, you remind me of a good friend of mine named Mimi. She's a Digidestined too, but at one point she decided she didn't want to fight anymore. Eventually she learned that there are some things worth fighting for…like the ones you love," said Sora, her eyes flashing.

"I see…" said Yolei.

"Your digimon partner can become your best friend if you let him, but if you turn your back on him and the Digital World, he'll just get enslaved by the Digimon Emperor. Is that what you want?" asked Sora.

Even though she had only known Hawkmon for a few minutes, she didn't want him to become enslaved by the Emperor.

"…no," she said, "I understand. I'll fight for my friends both digital and human!"

With that, the DigiEgg of Love began to glow.

"Pardon me," said Hawkmon, "but I believe if you want me to digivolve you'll need to say 'DigiArmor Energize'."

"DigiArmor Energize!" yelled Yolei.

"Hawkmon Armor Digivolve to—Halsemon the Wings of Love!"

Gone was the small bipedal bird only to be replaced with a giant quadruped gryphon. The egg had broken apart and attached itself like a helmet to the gryphon's head. The wings jutted out from the sides of the helmet and could be used as armor for the legendary beast's actual wings when in flight. The front two talons had three white claws in front of the foot, while the back two talons had three purple claws, one in back and two in front.

"I am Halsemon, as Hawkmon I used the Digiegg of Love to digivolve. I use my Tempest Wing and Eagle Eye attacks to obliterate my enemies," said the gryphon in a deep and noble voice.

"Go get 'em Yolei!" said Sora, pumping her fist.

* * *

"Excuse me Cody, but if ya want me to digivolve, ya need ta say 'DigiArmor Energize'," said Armadillomon.

Cody nodded and said, "DigiArmor Energize!"

"Armadillomon Armor Digivolve to—Digmon the Drill of Knowledge!"

Where Armadillomon had been, there now was a bipedal insectoid digimon. Each leg had three claws (two in the front, one in the back). He had two small black hands that came out under two larger arms. The larger arms each ended with a pair of drills. His back was armored and had two insect wings sticking out of the armor. His head had the same pattern on it that Armadillomon had, but had another drill for the nose. The only part of his actual face that could be seen were his calm blue eyes. His ears were two short yellow antennae that ended in red spikes. His legs and back had purple patterns on them, and his underbelly was purple as well. Aside from that and the drills, he was completely yellow.

"I am Digmon. As Armadillomon I used the DigiEgg of Knowledge to armor digivole. My Gold Rush and Rock Cracking attacks will shake up my enemies!" declared the yellow digimon proudly (hints of the southern accent were still around despite the deeper voice).

Cody stared at his partner in shock, before he remembered their conundrum.

"Alright boys," said Digmon, "grab on tight, and let's get out of here."

Cody grabbed the unconscious Botamon, and Digmon grabbed Cody with his smaller hands. Izzy and TK clambered onto the living drill's back. Patamon perched himself on TK's hat (as usual).

With all five drills whirling, Digmon began to drill their way out of the tunnel, and presently, the Digidestined were blinking in the sunlight of the desert. They had tunneled out from underneath the Coliseum and were now looking back the way they came.

"Let's find the others," said Cody.

"One problem with that," said a raspy voice, and they turned around to see that Kabuterimon hadn't left.

"Get him Digmon!" yelled Cody.

"Electro Shocker!"

As the orb of electricity approached, everyone scattered away from the drilling digimon, when the orb impacted, there was nothing there but a hole in the ground.

"Where'd he go?" asked Kabuterimon, "ah, he must've run away knowing he couldn't defeat me…I'll just deal with the others then."

As the cyborg insect charged up for another attack, the ground beneath him gave way, and out popped Digmon.

"Gold Rush!"

All five drills launched themselves off of Digmon's body, and were aimed directly at Kabuterimon, who didn't have time to react before the whirling drill hit and shattered the Dark Ring.

Kabuterimon glowed in a white light before de-digivolving back into a smaller red and gray beetle-like digimon with green eyes. After a few minutes, the beetle woke up and took a look around. His eyes found a very familiar face (well, three actually, but he was most interested in the one.)

"IZZY!" shouted the beetle.

"It's nice to see you too Tentomon," said Izzy smiling.

The beetle then addressed TK.

"Wow TK, you've sure grown a lot," he said.

The reunion was cut short by Cody.

"I understand this is an emotional time, but we do still need to find the others," he said.

Izzy nodded, that was true enough.

"Alright then, let's go!" said TK.

* * *

Tai and Koromon had collapsed on the ground severely burnt and unconscious. Birdramon was flying in for the final blow, when suddenly…

"Tempest Wing!"

Halsemon spun himself around into a tornado, and launched himself at Birdramon's Dark Ring. Unfortunately, at the last moment, the corrupted digimon dodged the blow.

"Meteor Wing!"

As the salvo of fiery meteors came towards them, Halsemon steadied himself.

"Eagle Eye!"

With careful precision, the gryphon blasted every single meteor into tiny particles with lasers from his eyes. He launched one final laser beam, which broke Birdramon's Dark Ring, and the battle was over.

Birdramon was engulfed in a white light before de-digivolving into a very dazed Biyomon.

Sora, who had been checking up on Tai's condition and was assured he was alive, ran over to her partner.

"Oh Biyomon. It's good to see you again," she said smiling.

"It's good to see you too Sora," said the bird, still a little confused.

A few minutes later, when Sora was back to checking on Tai, it clicked.

"SORA!" yelled the little bird loudly, and ran up to her partner.

"Might I suggest we go find the others?" asked Halsemon.

"There's a problem," said Sora, "I don't think we can move Tai."

As the girls pondered their way out of this mess, Halsemon said, "he can fly on my back with one of you to make sure he doesn't fall off."

Sora sighed, "I suppose that's the best we can do…"

As the girls carefully lifted Tai onto the gryphon's back, Biyomon tenderly picked up Koromon, who de-digivolved into another Botamon, not nearly as burned, but still unconscious.

"Sora," said Yolei, "you should ride with Tai…he's your boyfriend after all."

"Yeah, but Halsemon is your digimon," replied Sora.

"I'll settle this," said Kari, by climbing aboard Halsemon, "he is my brother you know."

"Perfecto!" shouted Yolei, "we're ready to go!"

* * *

The Digimon Emperor had been entertaining himself by watching his prisoners squirm, but now it was time to deal with the business at hand…

"Give me back my digivice," yelled Davis, "and let Veemon go. He's got nothing to do with this!"

"Yeah right," scoffed the Emperor, "you've both trespassed into a world where you don't belong, and now you shall receive your just desserts."

"Ooo, I love candy!" said Veemon.

"Punishment you buffoon," corrected the Emperor, "and I believe I have the appropriate one for such an occasion. You will watch as I enslave your partner."

The Emperor snapped his fingers, and a Dark Ring appeared hovering next to him.

"Veemon no!" yelled Davis.

"Ha! You'll never get me to be your slave, you might as well destroy me now!" scoffed the blue bipedal lizard.

"We'll see about that," said the Emperor, snapping his fingers again. The Ring began to float closer and closer to Veemon and he began to squirm nervously.

"Hey take it easy! I was just kidding! Come on old buddy don't you know a good joke when you hear one? You know, a little comedy to lighten the mood," stammered Veemon.

"No one's laughing Veemon," said the Emperor as the Ring drew ever closer to its intended target.

"Leave him alone!" shouted Davis.

Almost as if on cue, a red laser beam shot through the canyons and disintegrated the evil device.

Halsemon, having carefully unloaded his passengers and loaded on Yolei, shot through the canyon following the attack.

He started cutting Davis's shackles.

"Don't worry about me," said Davis, "save Veemon."

Again, almost as if on cue, the rock wall behind Veemon collapsed and he found himself being held by Digmon's mini arms.

"Sorry to burst in on you like this," said Digmon.

"You could have knocked!" joked Veemon.

The Emperor turned to go, but found himself facing a mad Gatomon.

"This litter box ain't big enough for the two of us," she said.

Suddenly, a small green insect appeared in front of the Digimon Emperor. It had a segmented body like a caterpillar and two feet per segment (with the exception of the front segment which was his head). Each foot ended in a purple toe. His tail was on the last segment and was two purple spikes. There was a black stripe that encircled the final segment, but it was clearly not a Dark Ring. He had two big blue eyes and a black mouth that opened sideways. He had a purple 'y' on his forehead and two green antennae.

"Keep your claws to yourself you big bully," he said charging at Gatomon.

The cat kept her cool and punched the insect digimon back at the Emperor, who temporarily lost his balance. This resulted in him accidentally throwing Davis's digivice and mini-computer off the cliff.

"You're useless Wormmon!" shouted the Emperor.

"Thank you," shouted Yolei, as she caught Davis's gear.

The Emperor cracked his whip and several ghost like digimon wearing Dark Rings appeared.

"Who're they?" asked a disgusted and totally freaked out Yolei.

"Bakemon," replied Sora, remembering those ghosts well, "they may seem like normal ghosts, but their Zombie Claw attack is sure solid enough."

"Be careful," Izzy warned.

"Ready for some payback?" asked Davis.

Veemon nodded.

"DigiArmor Energize," yelled Davis.

"Veemon Armor Digivolve to—Flamedramon the Fire of Courage!"

As the three armor digimon charged towards their specter adversaries, they launched their attacks.

"Fire Rocket!"

"Gold Rush!"

"Eagle Eye!"

Some Bakemon managed to dodge the assault, but many others had their Dark Rings broken.

"Zombie Claw!"

Those who had managed to dodge began striking at the armor digimon with gigantic black fists, but there was no coordination. The Emperor had decided to retreat and plan his next trap.

Within moments, the remaining Bakemon had been freed and floated away.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" said Davis, as the three digimon de-digivolved to their Rookie stages. A beam of light representing the DigiEggs flashed into the pockets of Yolei and Cody. To their surprise, they pulled out two more mini computers, but they didn't have time to examine them.

"So, Yolei, can I count on your assistance from now on?" asked Hawkmon.

Although she knew this was a big commitment, Yolei knew the consequences of refusal, and no digimon deserve to be enslaved.

"Of couse!" she said giving the Rookie digimon a thumbs up.

"What about you Cody? Will we be pardners when I'm not nappin'?" asked Armadillomon.

"It would be an honor," said Cody smiling.

"It looks like the new Digidestined are starting to understand the magnitude of their task," said Sora.

"Indeed," said Izzy, "and we're here to give them any assistance they may need."

"…so how're we going to get Tai out of here?" asked Kari.

Izzy solemnly walked over to the comatose and barbecued Tai. He checked the pulse and breathing rate. They appeared to be steady.

"It's times like this I wish Joe were around," he sighed, "but I believe if we take him on a makeshift stretcher he should be fine."

As the sunset blazed in the west, the Digidestined and their digimon made a stretcher out of materials from the nearby forest. Tai was carefully placed onto the stretcher by TK and Izzy.

"Oh man," said Davis, "what happened to him?"

"He held off Birdramon while we headed for shelter…otherwise none of us would have made it," replied Kari.

"…but he'll be fine when we return to the real world right? These wounds aren't real…are they?" asked Davis.

"…I'm sorry Davis, but I'm afraid it's not that simple. Anything that happens in this world still affects your presence in the real world," replied Izzy.

"…coach," said Davis sadly eyeing his unconscious mentor.

The stretcher was alternatively held by TK and Izzy, and Sora and Davis as the Digidestined and their digimon trekked towards the grassy field where they had first come into the Digital World.

Sure enough, upon arrival, they noticed a TV. When they got close enough, the TV turned on to reveal a darkened computer lab with someone staring at the computer screen. It was George.

"Hang on," he said, "I'll prep the landing for Tai."

George began typing on the computer at his end, and in a few moments he gave a thumbs up.

"The portal should be stable enough for him now, send him through," he said.

Kari held up her digivice to the screen and made sure Tai was nearby.

Instantly, the Kamiya siblings went through the portal and landed on a pile of pillows set by George. Immediately, the former Warrior of Power checked the pulse and the breathing rate.

"He should be fine; he just needs some treatments for those burns," said George, "I'll call an ambulance, and Kari you call home, but first we need to move Tai so the others can get through the DigiPort without squashing him."

Carefully, Kari and George picked up the stretcher and carried it out of the computer lab.

As soon as they were clear of the door, the other Digidestined held up their digivices and landed in a dog pile on the other side. The digimon had come along as well.

Yolei noticed the pink blob with wings and a single feather sticking out of the top of its body.

"I'm Poromon," said the blob, "but I'm also Hawkmon."

Cody noticed the yellow blob with wing-like ears.

"Hello, I'm Upamon," said the blob, "but I'm also Armadillomon."

"I don't understand how something so small can become something like Digmon," remarked Cody, looking around to see a radish looking blob that identified herself as "Yokomon", a walking blob with two tiny arms who called himself "Motimon", Patamon, Gatomon, and the two Botamons.

"Uh-oh," he said, "how're we going to tell whose Botamon is whose?"

"This one's mine," said George as he stepped back into the room and picking up one of the Botamon.

Noticing Sora's concerned look he smiled comfortingly and said, "the ambulance will be here momentarily, and I've already thought of a cover story. In the meantime, I'll go apologize to the Kamiya family and meet up with you guys in the hospital soon."

Sora was going to ask how they were going to get to the hospital, since there wasn't enough room for all of them in one ambulance, when Joe ran into the room.

"I took the liberty of calling Joe," were George's parting words, "he finished his test about a half hour ago."

A few minutes later, the ambulance arrived and the Digidestined (sans Kari who was family) climbed into Joe's minivan and followed the ambulance towards the hospital.

* * *

The Kamiyas were grabbing their coats to leave, when suddenly their doorbell rang. Intending to brush off whoever was there, Susumu Kamiya answered the door.

The trench coat clad person stepped in.

Narrator: Will Tai recover from his injuries and how will George talk his way out of this one? Find out next time on Digimon: Digital Monsters!

21: A little darker than the original version eh?

George: But it does have some funny parts too...like that Toyama fellow. Such a nice gullible principal he is :)

21: Just as an aside, I got part of this episode's title from a little dubbing error that was fairly common in the beginning of the canonical season 2.

George: ...what's that?

21: Digmon often referred to himself as 'The Drill of Power' instead of 'The Drill of Knowledge'. This is kinda crucial in this storyline considering there already is a Crest of Power right?

George: I may have heard something about it...

(The Sponsor begins to wake up)

21: Uh-oh!

George: Let's bail before he comes to!

(21 and George bolt. A few moments later, the Sponsor awakens to find a massive mess.)

Sponsor: *sigh* not again...

(A piece of pizza falls off the ceiling and lands on the Sponsor's head.)


	3. The Light of Hope Shines Again

21: and here we are with another installment of my latest story!

George: Not too shabby eh? But I'm a little upset.

21: Why's that?

George: I haven't been playing much of a role in the story yet. I can't even fight as well as I used to!

21: The Emperor knows you too well doesn't he?

George: If I was at full power that little shrimp would be toast!

21: Easy slugger...something tells me you'll like this episode and the next one.

Sponsor: HERE YOU ARE! I'VE GOT A BONE TO PICK WITH YOU!

21: Did he say he's going to pick at us with a bone? That's just gross...

George: Some people have no manners.

21: You would know...

George: What was that?

21: Nothing...

Sponsor: YOU GUYS OWE ME $678,806,123,509,395 FOR ALL THE FOOD YOU'VE EATEN AND THE DAMAGES YOU'VE CAUSED!

21: But you're our Sponsor. That means you're the one with the money. Remember? I don't own Digimon, so I've got no money...and I just did your job for you.

Sponsor: Well I don't own Digimon either, and I don't have the kind of money we're talking about here, so pay up!

21: No. You haven't been doing your job lately, so we owe you nothing.

(A vein pulses in the Sponsor's forehead)

Sponsor: Pay up or else!

George: Ooh! Ooh! I know the answer to this one! Pick me! Pick me!

21: Yes Mr. Helltower?

George: Else!

Sponsor: Fine then! Don't say I didn't warn you!

(The Sponsor pulls out...a rubber duck!)

21: ...a rubber duck?

George: really?

(The rubber duck transforms into a massive duck-tank. The barrel of which is aimed at the dynamic duo.)

21: Uh

George: Oh

Narrator: Is this the end for our noble author and his main character? Find out next time on-

(The tank runs over the Narrator)

Episode 3: The Light of Hope Shines Again

"Yolei here, last time, we met George Helltower the leader of the Martian Digidestined. Boy is he a strange guy. Anyways, I finally got to go to the Digital World, but we were attacked by Kabuterimon and Birdramon. In the ensuing chaos, Cody and I found our partners, but Tai was seriously injured while holding off Birdramon…if there's one thing I learned today it's that the Digital World is not a game…"

"I apologize for the inconvenient timing of my visit, but I had to apologize for Tai's injuries," said the figure.

By now, Yuuko Kamiya had joined them and asked, "what do you know about our son? And just who are you anyways?"

"Forgive me. My name is George Helltower. I was introduced to Tai by Izzy, a friend of my family's," explained the figure.

"George Helltower? As in the big videogame tycoon of the United States?" asked Susumu Kamiya.

"Yeah, that's me," said George, "Tai was doing me a favor and testing one of my new game systems. Unfortunately and for some unknown reason, the device exploded. My analysts are already on the case, and they found what appear to be the remains of a tiny explosive."

"And what was an explosive doing in your game system?" asked Yuuko Kamiya sternly.

"I've come up with two possibilities. You see, I'm here to see if there's a viable market for me to start selling my VR systems, and so doing might put local companies out of business, or severely take away from their sales," explained George, "either way, it's bad for them, and they want me out of the equation. I tried to make my trip here as secretive as possible, but somehow one of the rival companies found out I was here. The explosive that was planted was probably either to put me out of commission, or make me look bad by exploding on someone I had using the device."

"I see…" said Susumu, "and now we have to be heading to the hospital."

"I'll pay all of the bills of course," said George, "it's my fault this happened."

* * *

Tai was brought into one of the hospital rooms and was laid down on the bed.

A doctor came by to assess the situation. He took one look at the burns and shook his head.

"Those are 3rd degree burns," he said, "what caused them?"

"To be honest, we're not sure," lied Sora, "he was alone when this happened."

"Who found him?" asked the doctor.

"A friend of ours; he's off talking to my parents now, but he'll come by later," replied Kari.

"I'd like to speak to him when he arrives," said the doctor, "maybe he knows what happened. In the mean time, we'll call in a specialist who can deal with those burns…"

About ten minutes later, the Kamiya parents arrived. While Susumu checked up on Tai, Yuuko walked over to the Digidestined.

"Do you guys know a George Helltower?" asked Yuuko, "because he came by to apologize for the accident."

"Yeah," said Izzy, "he's a friend of mine from America."

Susumu, who had been talking with the doctor, walked over.

"The doctor says you guys don't know what happened," he said.

"It's true Mr. Kamiya," said TK, "we only found out Tai was injured because of George. If he hadn't told us, we'd still be hanging out at the park."

The specialist arrived a half-hour later, and the Kamiya parents asked her about the burns.

"Don't worry about it," she said, "Tai may have a few scars, but he should be just fine otherwise."

Susumu and Yuuko nodded.

"Alright," Susumu said, "Tai appears to be fine. We'll come visit again when he's awake. In the meantime, we'll go home and tell all your parents where you are."

"Thanks Mr. Kamiya," said Sora.

Barely a minute after the Kamiyas left, George walked in. After a brief conference with the doctor and specialist, he joined the others in the waiting room.

"How's the slugger doing?" he asked.

"He should be fine," said Sora hostilely, "no thanks to you."

"Lay off him," said TK, "he distracted Principal Toyama for us didn't he?"

"Yeah," said Sora, "but he was back in the computer room when we returned. It looked like he'd been there a while _and_ he knew Tai was injured before we came through the DigiPort."

As Izzy opened his mouth to defend George, the latter lifted his hand and silenced the boy genius.

"She's right," said George, "I was back for a while and had been watching you guys ever since Kabuterimon first attacked you…"

"…why? Why didn't you come help?" asked Kari, now she was glaring at George as well.

"Why did you leave your partner to battle Kabuterimon alone?" asked Cody accusingly.

George sighed, "I guess I have some explaining to do…"

"You'd better have a good excuse," said Sora, "or I'll—"

"Relax and let the man speak," said Davis, "if you'd let him talk we'd understand his actions by now."

Astonished that Davis had contributed positively to the conversation, the Digidestined quieted down, though Sora mumbled "I highly doubt it".

George took a deep breath and glanced at all the hostile faces.

"As you might remember, I was quite upset with the attitude of the new Digidestined. To me, they appeared to think that the DigiWorld is a massive videogame, which, to me, is the ultimate insult," he began.

"So you decided to have your revenge by abandoning us to the mercy of Kabuterimon and Birdramon?" demanded Sora, "that's low!"

"No!" said George, "I figured that I could lecture the new Digidestined all I wanted, but they'd never take me seriously that the DigiWorld wasn't a game until they had experienced mortal terror and near death experiences in the Digital World. Knowing the Digimon Emperor, he'd have a trap planned and would attack you. I was more correct than I could have imagined…I'm sorry Tai had to get hurt, but the lesson needed to be learned, and the hard way is the only way to learn it."

"Why is this lesson so crucial?" demanded Sora, "I think the point had been driven home long before Tai was hurt. You could have helped then…"

"I hate to tell you this, but this was also a lesson for you older Digidestined as well. I'm not always going to be around, and when I'm not, you still have to be able to defeat the forces of evil," explained George, "as for why knowing that the Digital World is real and not a game is important…do you really need me to answer that?"

Sora still wasn't happy, but her gaze softened slightly.

"There's something else I need to tell you guys…good news actually," said George.

"What?" asked TK.

"I've gotten you guys out of homework for the next month," said George.

"SWEET!" yelled Davis, "I see what Tai meant, George is the best kind of friend one can have."

"Might I ask how you accomplished such a feat?" asked Cody.

"I told Principal Toyama that you guys were helping me by testing my game systems, and, after giving him another sample, he agreed to inform your teachers not to give you homework on the grounds that you were my interns," said George smiling, "so, as of now, you are all part-time employees of Helltower Corp. I already told Matt on my way here."

"Where is Matt?" asked TK.

"His band had a gig tonight," replied George, "he told me to tell you he'll swing by to check on Tai tomorrow. In the meantime, I'd suggest you all get home. I'll call you if Tai wakes up."

"What about you?" asked Cody, "don't you need sleep?"

"Well," sighed George, "as I've already been informed, this whole episode is my fault, so I'm the one who should stay. Besides, there are some things I need to take care of…"

The others nodded and took off, though Sora and Kari were rather reluctant to go, George's comforting gaze told them that they'd be the first to know if anything happened, and, despite everything, they still trusted him implicitly.

George watched carefully, and as soon as Joe's minivan left the parking lot, he put on his sunglasses and blinked twice. A headset came out of the left arm, and a few moments later George began talking quietly into it, occasionally pausing as though waiting for a response.

"…I see, no sooner than tomorrow?...you're sure?...fine…yeah, see you tomorrow," were George's final words. When he was done, the headset retracted back into the left arm of his sunglasses.

The fallen warrior pulled off the shades and sat back to await word on Tai.

* * *

Bright and early the next day, about an hour before school, Matt swung by the hospital to find out what was happening with Tai. He found George carefully observing and tinkering with a black shard, taking studious notes in a digital notebook.

"What's up?" asked the musician.

"Not much," replied George, "The specialist worked on Tai for a while a little earlier, but he hasn't woken up yet…"

"I see," said Matt calmly, "so what're you up to?"

"I'm trying to reverse engineer the Emperor's Dark Rings," replied George, poking the shard yet again.

"Why would you want to do something like that?" asked Matt coldly.

"If I can figure out what makes these contraptions tick, I can find ways to prevent them from working," said George shrugging.

"Right, I gotta go to school," said Matt, "you'll let me know if anything changes right?"

"Of course," replied the Warrior of Power.

* * *

After school, the Digidestined still hadn't received any word on Tai's condition. Sora and Kari were, of course, extremely nervous, and the mood was a depressed one as the Digidestined filed into the computer lab. Sora joined them as she had decided to skip soccer practice due to her fatigue (she had stayed up the whole night before because of Tai), and of course, as head of the computer club, Izzy was there as well.

Notably absent were Yolei and Cody.

"Where's Yolei?" asked Poromon.

"and Cody?" added Upamon.

"They're on their way," said Kari.

At this point, Yolei burst into the room carrying a bulging plastic bag.

"Sorry I'm late," she said, "I brought goodies from my family's convenience store!"

"Good idea," said TK, "In-training digimon are bottomless pits."

As the lavender haired girl placed the bag on the floor, the digimon gathered around it curiously. Inside could be seen all sorts of carbohydrated goodness.

"What is it?" asked Poromon.

"Can we eat it?" asked Upamon.

"Of course," said Patamon picking up a bag with his tiny paws, "watch me!"

As the orange digimon slurped on the drink, the two In-training digimon watched in wonder. Suddenly, Upamon bounced right into the bag.

"The buffet is now open!" yelled the little yellow blob as he chomped on everything in sight.

Having already developed a sweet tooth a two nights ago, DemiVeemon quickly grabbed a chocolate bar and began stuffing his face while Poromon went for a bag labeled 'Hot Barbecue Chips'.

As Sora watched in amusement, the little pink blob ate one of the chips and began flying around the room yelling "It's hot! It's hot! It's hot!" over and over again.

"I'd forgotten just how much In-training digimon could eat," remarked the redheaded girl with a smirk on her face.

Gatomon meanwhile was watching the gluttony of her fellow digimon with disgust.

"I hope my first litter doesn't act like this," she said.

"Lighten up," said Motimon grabbing a doughnut.

"Yeah, relax and enjoy the meal," added Yokomon going for a juice bag.

Gatomon sighed and grabbed some sushi.

"Is the gate open?" asked Davis.

"Surprisingly yes," said Izzy, who was lounging at his favorite computer.

"Then let's head out!" said Davis.

"Hold on," said Kari, "Cody's still not here!"

"What's takin' him so long?" demanded Davis.

"He's still in the lunchroom," said Yolei, "last time I checked he was still chewing the same carrot 50 times."

* * *

In the lunchroom, Cody was poking a lone tomato on his tray with his fork.

"I'm so stuffed," he said, "I only have one more tomato to eat."

"You don't have to eat every bite Cody," said the lunchroom attendant.

"You should never throw away any food unless it smells bad," remarked the 4th grader, "my father used to say that before he passed away."

"…oh I see," said the attendant glumly.

Cody split the tomato in half with his fork and sniffed it…

* * *

Davis was staring at the door angrily.

"Doesn't he know we're waiting? He's holding us up," he said savagely.

"Calm down Davis," said Izzy, "don't blow a gasket."

"He'll be here soon, I'm sure of it," said Sora.

"Let's watch some TV to pass the time," suggested Yolei.

"Yeah, let's see what's on!" agreed Kari.

As the Digidestined gathered around the television, a reporter could be seen.

* * *

"We interrupt this broadcast to bring you this latest story," said the reporter, "the results of the National Computer Programming Contest were just announced, and the winner is boy genius Ken Ichijouji!"

The scene shifted to a blue haired boy sitting in front of a computer. He was wearing a gray Tamachi school uniform.

"There were many well deserving genii out there, and I am humbled that the judges chose me to receive the top prize," said the boy.

"Now let's go live to the scene of the contest with our field reporter Jerry Rivera!" said the reporter, "Jerry?"

The scene cut again, this time to a suited man with gray hair and a gray mustache. The man was standing in a room full of monitors and consoles. A blackboard with complex formulas could be seen a little further in, as could a flowerpot.

"Thanks Jackie!" said the suited man, "young Ken wowed the judges by creating a computer program that could actually brush your teeth for you! The rumor is next year he's planning something with floss! I can't wait! Back to you!"

The scene cut to a room full of chess boards. Each table had only one player, and Ken stood in between the rows of boards confidently moving pieces around, and as the reporter announced, the scene shifted to display what the reporter was referring to.

"Ken's talents include being able to play twelve games of chess simultaneously. Just last week, he actually balanced the world's biggest checkbook, and that's not all" said the reporter, "he's a champion at judo, and he's a star on the all state soccer team, and girls…he's single!"

* * *

Unbeknownst to the other Digidestined, Cody had entered the computer lab.

"Wow," said Davis as he watched Ken's soccer moves, "he's almost as good as I am!"

* * *

The scene cut yet again, this time to outside an apartment complex. A suited man with brown curly hair, and a red haired woman wearing a light blue jacket, button down blouse, and tan skirt were standing next to the reporter.

"Now let's talk to the proud parents who raised this genius, Mr. and Mrs. Ichijouji!" the reporter was saying, "what're some of the advantages of being the parents of the most brilliant child in the world?"

"Oh it's great in the kitchen," said Mrs. Ichijouji happily, "he invented dishes that clean themselves!"

"Like father like son," said Mr. Ichijouji, "I once guessed how many jellybeans were in a pickle jar!"

* * *

As the report continued, George glared at the television with sheer rage. His whole body was shaking in wrath as the reporter continued to comment on Ken's many talents. Suddenly, a nurse walked into the waiting room, and up to George.

"You're George Helltower right?" asked the nurse.

George, who had ceased his displays of anger when the nurse had come in, simply nodded.

"I was told to tell you that Tai Kamiya woke up," she said.

George quickly put all other thoughts aside and ran towards the hallway to find Tai. He quickly ran back into the waiting room to find the nurse still there.

"ummmm, what room is Tai in?" asked the videogame tycoon sheepishly.

"365," replied the nurse with a bemused smirk, as George ran off again.

* * *

At the same time, Cody had, unbeknownst to the others, walked over to the TV.

"I heard this guy's so smart he once gave his teachers homework!" he said.

"Cody," exclaimed Kari, "when did you get here?"

"About a minute ago," he remarked, "you should pay more attention to who comes and goes in this room. We don't want outsiders to see our digimon now do we?"

"Hey!" said Davis raising his fist, "watch it Cody!"

"He's right though," said Izzy, "we were a little careless…I guess it's true that television produces a hypnotic effect…"

"Hey Kari," said Gatomon.

"We're ready to go to the Digital World now," said Patamon.

"All present and accounted for," said TK, "let's get going!"

As the others nodded, an announcement came over the PA system.

"**Izzy Izumi, please report to the front desk."**

Izzy's eyes went wide with shock as he mentally slapped himself on the forehead.

"I forgot! I'm supposed to help Principal Toyama hook up George's gaming systems," he exclaimed as he ran out the door.

The other Digidestined just stared at the door in shock.

"What the hell was that all about?" asked Davis.

* * *

George burst into room 365 to see a bandaged Tai (his hair was sticking out of the bandages around his head though, which produced a semi-comical effect).

"How's it going Tai?" asked George.

"Been better," replied the Child of Courage, "betcha I look like a mummy."

George smirked, "you would if it wasn't for that hair of yours," he replied.

"So, how're we saying I got injured? Obviously being attacked by a giant digital bird is out of the question," asked Tai.

"Hmmm," said George, "so you can be smart when you want to be after all."

Tai gave the fallen warrior the most scathing look he could manage.

"Alright, alright relax," said George, "you were testing one of my game systems when it exploded. I found you and called the others."

"…but that could put you in legal trouble," said Tai.

"Even if your parents did decide to sue me, I'd still be alright. I might lose a market here in Japan, but I can still manage to get by with the viable market I've got in the US. The point is, don't worry about me or my finances, it's you we need to worry about now," replied George, "…so can I get you anything?"

"Actually, now that you mention it, I'd like to see Sora," said Tai.

"Fine, I'll go get her," replied the former Warrior of Power, "sit tight."

George stepped out of the room and had a few words with the doctor before dashing out of the hospital.

* * *

The remaining Digidestined were about to enter the Digital World, when a sudden 'whoosh' outside made the window blinds flutter like mad, and a few moments later George ran into the lab slightly out of breath.

"Tai's awake," he said, "and he's requesting to see Sora."

"What about me?" asked Kari dejectedly.

"The doctors insist that he have only one visitor at a time, with the exception of your parents who get to go in at the same time. Since Tai requested Sora, she's first, then your parents, and then you," said George, "I'm sorry, but that's how it goes. In the meantime, you can still come with us to the Digital World."

Slightly upset, Kari nodded, and Sora dashed quickly from the room.

Determined to defeat the one who had hurt her brother, Kari prompted Davis to open the DigiPort, which he did, and soon the others found themselves on the other side.

* * *

The Digimon Emperor was having a grand time. He had spent the morning chasing an Elecmon, which he had [easily] captured, and was now enjoying a battle taking place before him in his prison and battling arena.

One of the combatants was the Elecmon he had just captured, the other was another Elecmon caught a few days before. Both had Dark Rings on and were attacking each other fiercely.

Three Gotsumon were watching incredulously.

"Why are they fighting each other? They're friends," asked the first.

"The Digimon Emperor is controlling them. Everyone changes once he gets those Dark Rings on them," replied the second.

"We should go before we're next," commented the third.

"We can't abandon our friends the Elecmon," replied the first.

"That Digimon Emperor!" snarled the second, "making friends fight for his own amusement! He's a terrible person."

With that, he angrily chopped a branch off the log they were sitting on.

Sitting atop his stone throne in the makeshift Coliseum, the Emperor heard the branch break, and glared at the Gotsumon, lashing out his whip. He managed to trip the first two, but the third managed to escape.

"You're next!" he yelled.

A few moments later, the two captured Gotsumon were fiercely battling before the demented tyrant. The third Gotsumon observed the fight with horror and sadness.

"How can they fight?" he asked, "they're best friends!"

Suddenly, the Emperor's digivice beeped. He pulled it out and saw six dots on the screen. He snarled.

"Well, well, well, look who finally decided to show up Wormmon," said the Digimon Emperor as he noticed the arrival of the Digidestined, "I think I'll send them a little present."

The Emperor laughed evilly as he punched a few buttons from his control panel.

"Oh Master," said Wormmon sadly, "is this really what makes you happy?"

* * *

George hadn't taken two steps in the DigiWorld, when his sunglasses started ringing. Everyone looked at him oddly, as he blinked twice, and the headset came out again.

"Now?...Very good!...fine I'll see you soon," overheard the Digidestined.

As the headset withdrew back into the frame, George turned toward the Digidestined apologetically.

"Something important has come up," he said, "I've got to go."

With that, he picked up the still injured Botamon, and flew off towards the East.

"Whoa!" said Davis, "I wonder if I can fly here too."

After a few awkward tries (and subsequent failures) Davis decided to give up.

Suddenly, everyone's digivices started beeping and shaking like crazy.

Davis looked at the screen. There was a yellow dot and a red dot, which he supposed symbolized Yolei and Cody, a symbol shaped like a lightning bolt moving steadily east, which he supposed was George, and two other symbols, pink and green, which were next to him, so he supposed were TW and Kari. However, there were three dots he couldn't account for. Two were white and close together, and the third was black and closing in on them.

It was Cody who determined what the two white dots were.

"Hey!" he exclaimed, "DigiEggs!"

"Where is it?" asked Veemon (he and the others had digivolved into their Rookie stages upon reentering the Digital World).

"The digivice says they're not far from here," said Cody.

"More DigiEggs?" asked a confused Davis, "but we already have ours."

"Who're they for?" asked Yolei.

"We'll never know unless we look for them," prompted Kari.

The Digidestined and Digimon nodded, and the search began.

* * *

On an uncharted and unknown island sat a gigantic temple built by the first civilization of digimon. The temple was made to honor the four Harmonious Ones, or Sovereigns, who protected the Digital World from evil. Ancient runes were scrolled across the walls telling tales of battles long ago. Although the last surviving Sovereign to have seen the Temple being built, Griffinmon, had died millennia ago, the Temple was still in pristine condition. Not a single tile was missing from the mosaics, nor was a single glass window cracked. The Sovereigns themselves looked after the Temple as a way of saying thanks to digimon long gone.

It was to this island and this Temple that George Samuel Helltower flew. Ordinarily, humans would not be allowed to enter the Temple's sacred grounds, but on his death, Griffinmon had made George an honorary Sovereign.

As soon as the fallen warrior landed on the island, Botamon became reenergized and digivolved all the way back to Crocmon, for such was the power of the island.

As the former Warriors of Power stepped into the Temple, George pulled off his trench coat and pocketed his sunglasses; neither would be necessary here.

"Gennai, Azulongmon, I'd like a word," he said.

Instantly, an old man and an enormous blue dragon with a long white beard appeared in the room with the two. George smiled for the first time in ages.

"It is agreeable to see you both again," he said.

"Yes," said Gennai, "but I can see you have questions for me."

"You've been acting up again haven't you?" said George coyly.

"Who me?" asked Gennai innocently.

"So my friends," said Azulongmon, "what can we do you for?"

"There are strange new digivices that have appeared lately," said George, "and I strongly suspect you two are involved in their appearance."

"You are correct sir," said Gennai, "I take it you'd like to know their capacities?"

"Actually, I'd like to figure that out on my own," replied the human-digimon hybrid.

"You'd like to know about Armor Digivolution then," surmised Azulongmon.

"Bingo," said George, "I see you didn't get this job for nothing."

"I'll try to take that as a compliment," said Azulongmon wryly.

With that, the blue dragon and the old man began to explain Armor Digivolution to the former Warriors of Power.

(A/N: This scene has been removed for blatant spoilers)

* * *

As the Digidestined walked through the forest, the eggs' signals became closer and closer. Suddenly, the Emperor appeared before them, and he was angry.

(A/N: What else is new?)

"What're _you_ doing here?" demanded the Emperor.

"Look out!" yelled Yolei.

"I'll get you!" shouted Davis, "once and for all!"

As Davis dove into a tackle, he passed right through the Emperor…it was merely a hologram.

"Who do you think you are sneaking into the Digital World?" continued the Emperor, "what do you think this is a movie theater or something?"

The Digidestined looked at each other confused.

"What's he talking about?" asked Cody.

"You're no longer welcome here," said the Emperor, "at one time you may have been the Digidestined, but now I've replaced you!"

"Bullshit!" shouted Davis, "I became a Digidestined after you, so if anything, I've replaced you!"

"Ha!" laughed the Emperor, "no one shall ever replace me, for I am the ultimate destiny of the Digidestined!"

"What are you talking about?" asked Yolei.

"I mean, my dear, that the whole reason Digidestined were ever chosen in the first place was so that one day humans would rule the Digital World," said the Emperor, "I am just fulfilling our collective destiny."

"Destiny," spat TK, "you think _this_ is the destiny of the Digidestined? We were never meant to rule this world, just to protect it from creeps like you!"

"I see that my dear friend Helltower must have already corrupted your minds," said the Emperor, "a shame really, we could have been good friends."

"I would never have a friend as dishonorable as you!" said Cody.

"Really?" said the Emperor, "so tell me, where was George when you needed him yesterday…and where is he now for that matter?"

"He's busy!" countered Davis heatedly.

"Is that what he told you?" asked the Emperor, "funny how he always used to tell me the same thing…"

"What do you mean?" asked Kari.

"All in due time my dear," said the Emperor, "in the meantime, all you need to know is that George doesn't give a rat's ass about you guys. All he truly cares about is himself and his reputation!"

"That's not true," said TK adamantly, "he's always looking out for us, even when he's not around."

"I can see that talking to you guys is a waste of time," said the Emperor, "it seems you do not want to be enlightened after all, so I'll have to expel you from my garden."

With that, the hologram disappeared, and a growl was heard from behind the Digidestined. They turned around to see the Emperor sitting on top of a red dinosaur-like digimon. The dino had a white belly, and green plates running from its red tail to the top of its head. It had black stripes on its legs and face, and its fingers ended in sharp claws. It had a Dark Ring around its neck so its normally red eyes were even redder.

"I will give you one chance to leave peacefully," said the Emperor.

"We have just as much right to be here as you!" protested TK.

"This world and everything in it belongs to me!" snarled the Emperor, "now all of you get out!"

"Try and make us," said Yolei.

The Emperor sighed, "why must everyone question my authority? Does it always have to turn into a great big production?"

He turned to the dinosaur he was riding on.

"Get 'em Tyrannomon!"

As the red dinosaur charged at the Digidestined, the Emperor explained.

"Tyrannomon is one of the most powerful Champion digimon his Blaze Blast attack incinerates his enemies!"

"Blaze Blast!"

Tyrannomon inhaled deeply, and as he exhaled massive flames exited his jaws causing the Digidestined to scatter.

"Is that all you've got?" asked Davis cockily.

The Emperor scowled.

"Are you ready Davish?" asked Veemon.

"Yeah! DigiArmor Energize!" shouted the goggled boy.

"Veemon Armor Digivolve to—Flamedramon the Fire of Courage!"

The Emperor smugly hopped off his perch on Tyrannomon.

"See? This is why I'm a genius and you're not. You keep using the same attacks against me, yet I keep coming up with something new," he pontificated.

"I've heard enough of your babbling," declared Davis, "let's get to it!"

"As you wish," sighed the Emperor regally waving his arm.

At this signal, Tyrannomon charged and slashed at Flamedramon. The armor digimon screamed as the dino's claws threw him backwards, but he rebounded off a tree relatively unscathed.

"Fire Rocket!"

Several elongated fireballs erupted from Flamedramon's right hand and flew towards Tyrannomon. The Emperor smirked and chuckled quietly as the reptilian digimon snuffed out the flames with his tail, leaving Davis baffled.

"What the hell?" he asked.

Yolei sighed. "Looks like Davis bit off more than he could chew again," she said.

The goggled boy glared at her, as Hawkmon glanced towards his partner.

"Now Yolei?" he asked.

Yolei nodded and shouted, "DigiArmor Energize!"

"Hawkmon Armor Digivolve to—Halsemon the Wings of Love!"

Yolei clambered onto the gryphon's back, and the two began soaring towards their adversary.

"Blaze Blast!"

Tyrannomon didn't take this new threat lying down as he attempted to incinerate Halsemon and his passenger, but fortunately the gryphon dodged with plenty of room.

"Eagle Eye!"

Two red lasers shot out of Halsemon's eyes and sent the Tyrannomon flying backwards; unfortunately, the lasers missed the Dark Ring, so the evil device remained intact.

"If you think you can beat me with your puny digimon, think again!" scoffed the Emperor.

He snapped his whip like a belt, and suddenly the ground shook as four more Tyrannomon surrounded the DigiDestined. The Emperor laughed darkly as he jumped back onto the first one's head.

"Shit," swore Davis.

* * *

"Okay, fine," said George, "I understand what Armor Digivolution is…but how is it that some digimon can Armor Digivolve and others can't?"

"Over time, the ability to Armor Digivolve was lost. Only those digimon whose species had been around before you and the other original Digidestined arrived are still capable of the technique," explained Azulongmon.

"…so the reason that Tai and the others were unable to lift the DigiEggs with their Crests is because their digimon are incapable of Armor Digivolution," said George, "then that means…"

As the metaphorical dots began to connect in the fallen warrior's cranium, his eyes grew wider and wider until a gigantic smile appeared across his face.

"Uh-oh," said Gennai sarcastically, "he's smiling. This can't be good."

"If what you're telling me is true," said George, "then since I not only found a DigiEgg with the Crest of Power on it, but was also able to lift it, then—"

"I should be able to Armor Digivolve," completed Crocmon in awe.

"Yes indeed," replied Azulongmon, "that is correct."

George and Crocmon looked at each other with determined expressions.

"We're not out of this fight after all old friend," said George, "and together, we will clean up the mess the Emperor has made."

Crocmon nodded, knowing full well what this meant to his partner.

Gennai cleared his throat.

"But first," he said, "we need to deal with the issue of Tai Kamiya. As per your instructions, I've reviewed the recordings and data from the final battle with Piedmon, especially MagnaAngemon's role."

"Good," said George nodding, "and what have you learned?"

"That the Magna Antidote is one extremely tough cookie to crack. I can't make heads or tails of its composition," replied the old man.

"But you told me—" began the fallen warrior.

"He may not have been able to replicate the formula," interjected Azulongmon, "but I could. You see, the powers of Light and Hope are my specialty, so there is nothing Patamon or Gatomon can do that I cannot."

"Brilliant," said George.

As Gennai handed him the vial however, George's expression changed from one of happiness to a frown of concern.

"Do you feel that my actions yesterday were warranted?" he asked, "or did things get taken way too far?"

"You did what you felt was necessary," said Azulongmon, "as a Sovereign, even an honorary one, you are technically not supposed to interfere directly with the developments in this world. This would imply that your actions are correct."

"And yet," countered George, "since the Emperor's existence is my fault in the first place, it would not be unacceptable for me to join the battle against him, implying that I was wrong."

"But you also know what might have happened if the lesson hadn't been taught," stated Gennai, "as you yourself said, you could have lectured them until you were blue in the face, but until they actually experienced near death they'd have still believed this world to be nothing more than a gigantic online videogame."

"But Tai got hurt because I wasn't there. The situation went way too far," said George, "I should have helped them…"

"The fact that the situation was carried too far was the Emperor's fault, not yours," said Azulongmon sternly, "until you stop blaming yourself and moping, nothing will get done to stop him."

"So do us all a favor," said Gennai, "and pick yourself up off the floor and get back in the game! You're assistance is needed, and it won't do anybody any good if you're a miserable wreck. You did what needed to be done, end of story."

George smiled and the flames of life and determination once again sprang into his bright green eyes.

"I'll fight you and hunt you down to the ends of this world Emperor!" he declared.

* * *

"The more the merrier," scoffed the Emperor as his Tyrannomon army closed in on the Digidestined.

"How the hell are we going to get out of this one?" asked Davis.

Keeping a level head as usual, Cody turned towards Armadillomon and asked, "are you ready?"

"Ready when you are," said the yellow digimon in his southern drawl.

"DigiArmor Energize!" yelled Cody.

"Armadillomon Armor Digivolve to—Digmon the Drill of Knowledge!"

Helpless to assist, Gatomon and Patamon were caught in the crossfire. The feline digimon looked the Emperor square in the eyes…er well sunglasses.

"You're nothing but a coward," she yelled, "you hide behind your slaves and you won't even let us digivolve."

"A coward am I?" asked the Emperor, "well, you know the old saying 'it's not how you play the game, it's whether you win or lose.'"

"…so you admit to being a coward?" asked Patamon.

"No," said the Emperor smoothly, "the real coward is George Helltower, and as his accomplices you shall all be destroyed…starting with you two useless excuses of digimon."

The Tyrannomon turned towards Gatomon and Patamon.

"Blaze Blast!"

Five blasts of fire surged towards the two helpless digimon, who were thrown backwards against a tree.

"Leave them alone!" shouted a horrified TK as he and Kari turned several shades whiter.

As the smoke from the attack cleared, Digmon, Flamedramon, and Halsemon stood in between the Tyrannomon and their prey.

"Hello boys," said Digmon, "it looks like you have some cavities that need filling."

The Emperor glared at the new Digidestined and their digimon with a look of utmost rage.

"So eager to die are you?" he asked, "well then I'll be happy to oblige."

At that moment, Digmon used his Rock Cracking and the ground around the Tyrannomon collapsed causing momentary confusion.

During that confusion, Cody grabbed TK and Kari (who were holding their injured digimon) and ran off in the direction of the DigiEgg's signal.

The Emperor saw them escaping and dispatched two Tyrannomon to cut them off, but one was intercepted by Flamedramon, who punched the red dino backwards, but the other continued to stomp towards the retreating Digidestined.

"Blaze Blast!"

As Tyrannomon's fireball flew towards them, the Digidestined ran as fast as they could. At the last moment, they fell down a slope and the fireball flew above them and impacted into a large boulder. The Tyrannomon continued forward as Cody took in his surroundings. Nearby he saw a crevice in the rocks.

"Let's hide in that cave," he exclaimed as the Digidestined ran towards the opening.

The Tyrannomon continued on its previous path in search of its prey. The Digidestined held their breath as it stomped past the cave's opening. After the sound of the stomping faded, they took a look around.

Cody, as usual, was the first to notice the sparkling objects in the back of the cave. He checked his digivice and looked at the objects again.

"I believe we have found the DigiEggs," he said nodding in their direction.

"Great," said TK, frustrated, "what do we do now, wait for new kid to come along and lift it so another new digimon'll be born?"

"But there aren't anymore new Digidestined," said Kari.

"What do the symbols on the front of them mean?" asked Cody.

TK and Kari took a closer look at the Digieggs. The one on the left was yellow with orange bat-like wings and whitish hair sticking out of the top. The symbol on the front was a small sun with a three pointed crown over it. The one on the left had two taloned feet supporting it and was covered by white armor designed to look like folded wings. At the top was a hole and sticking out of the hole was what appeared to be a tiny fortune cookie. The purple symbol on the front was a dot surrounded by several kite shapes pointing outwards.

TK and Kari's eyes widened as the younger Kamiya sibling responded to Cody's inquiry.

"One of them is the Crest of Light, and the other one has the Crest of Hope," she said excitedly, "wow."

TK and Kari ran towards the eggs with Cody and the Digimon trailing behind.

"Whose Crests were Light and Hope?" asked Cody curiously.

"...ours," said TK pointed to Kari and himself.

"Then these DigiEggs must belong to the two of you," said Gatomon happily.

"Go ahead and try to lift them," advised Patamon.

TK and Kari shook their heads remembering the failures of the other Digidestined who tried to lift DigiEggs that had their crests on them.

"yeah but…" began TK.

"If you don't try you'll never know," said Gatomon.

"But we've already got our digimon," objected Kari.

"Well," said Patamon, "George had a digimon and yet he managed to lift a DigiEgg, so that doesn't matter."

"George found a DigiEgg?" asked Kari.

"We can talk about this later," said Cody, "right now our friends are in trouble."

TK and Kari hesitantly turned towards the eggs and stretched out their hands.

"Just do it!" yelled Gatomon.

TK and Kari glanced at each other and nodded; their hands touched the DigiEggs.

Instantly, a high pitched shrieking noise was heard. The children of Light and Hope tried to remove their hands from the DigiEggs, but they couldn't.

As the shrieking continued, a column of yellow light and a column of pink light appeared from the DigiEggs. A beam of light branched off of each column and struck TK and Kari.

The shrieking grew louder and, their hands now free, TK and Kari pulled out their digivices, which appeared to be the source of the noise. When the beams of light connected, the digivices had begun to glow and change.

As the light dimmed and the shrieking grew quieter, the changes became clear.

TK and Kari now had digivices like the new Digidestined. The only difference was that TK's had green trimming and Kari's had pink trimming.

"These are the same digivices that the new kids have," said Kari.

"But why?" asked TK.

"It's obvious," said Cody, "you two were meant to have those eggs."

"Now go for it!" encouraged Patamon.

"We're not getting any younger," said Gatomon.

TK laughed, "Gatomon's right," he said as he advanced toward the egg once more.

This time, the eggs came up without any resistance whatsoever.

"It's light as a feather," said a surprised Kari.

"I'm stronger than I thought," remarked TK.

Suddenly, the columns of yellow and pink light resumed and surrounded Patamon and Gatomon.

"Patamon Armor Digivolve to—Pegasusmon, Flying Hope!"

"Gatomon Armor Digivolve to-Nefertimon, the Angel of Light!"

Pegasusmon was orange with a white underbelly. He was, for some strange reason, a flying horse. Plates of golden armor connected to his four hoofs, his two front legs and his wings, and over his equine face. He had a white mane and his ears were shaped like Patamon's wings. His wings were light tan and angelic, while a white tail completed the look. On the nose of his faceplate was an upside down triangle, and his hoof plates had intricate patterns on them. Finally, the Crest of Hope was emblazoned on the underside of his chest plate.

His calm blue eyes stared at TK.

While Pegasusmon was a flying horse Nefertimon was a sphinx. Her fur was white and her back legs ended in three purple talons. Her tail was just a larger version of Gatomon's (sans tail ring of course). Armor plating covered her front ankles and Gatomon's yellow gloves had fused to her skin making her front paws yellow with black talons. She had white angelic wings and a white breastplate with golden trimmed shoulder pads. Her sphinx head was covered by a white faceplate with tan 'hair' and a golden snake at the top. Her feline ears were also covered by the faceplate, and she had a golden necklace that hugged her neck. Her leg plates had an intricate pattern similar to the one on Pegasusmon's hoof plates. Finally, the Crest of Light was depicted on her breastplate.

She looked at Kari through her faceplate.

Cody was a little confused; just the day before he had seen the negative results from when Izzy had tried to lift the DigiEgg of Knowledge, and he had heard from Davis and Yolei of Tai and Sora's failures to lift their DigiEggs as well. Despite that, somehow, TK and Kari had managed to do what the others couldn't. They not only lifted their DigiEggs, but their digimon partners had Armor Digivolved as well…most perplexing.

"Gatomon and Patamon were able to Armor Digivolve," he said quietly.

"Nefertimon you're beautiful," said Kari, "and the best part is now that you can fly again, we don't have to walk anymore."

"Don't get too excited," said Nefertimon, "I haven't flown in a long time."

"Alright!" exclaimed TK, "my own armor digimon!"

"Might I suggest we return to the others?" said Pegasusmon in a tone similar to that of Angemon.

"Right," said TK and Kari.

Kari climbed onto Nefertimon's back and TK and Cody hoisted themselves onto Pegasusmon's back, and the five flew back towards the fight.

* * *

The battle had not been going well for Davis and Yolei. They were backed up against a cliff by the Tyrannomon and Flamedramon, Halsemon, and Digmon had dedigivolved and were collapsed in their Rookie states, too tired to fight anymore.

"Will you surrender?" asked the Emperor smugly.

"Not a chance!" shouted Davis defiantly.

"Look behind you," said the Emperor, "where do you think you're going to run to?"

Suddenly, two winged digimon appeared, and Cody shouted, "Davis, we're here!"

"Huh?" said the bamboozled Emperor; he thought the Tyrannomon had managed to defeat them.

The three Rookies were back on their feet as they admired the new armor digimon.

"That's Pegasusmon," drawled Armadillomon, "he's one wild horse. When he attacks with his Star Shower, his enemies will be blasted into outer space!"

"and that's Nefertimon," said Veemon, "she is a flying, fighting machine with nine lives, and she's quite a shot when tossing those Rosetta Stones of hers!"

* * *

George was sparring with an unseen digimon in the Sovereign's Temple. Gennai and Azulongmon were looking on as the digimon landed a kick that sent George flying backwards. The fallen warrior quickly righted himself and launched energy blasts at the digimon, who promptly countered them with a barrage of bullets from a gauntlet on his right arm. As the two rushed towards each other, Gennai cleared his throat.

"Gentlemen," he said, "while it has been amusing watching this match, you should probably check on the time."

"Huh?" said George, as he looked out the Temple's windows. The sun was beginning to set. They had been sparring for just under an hour, but that was longer than had been intended.

"Perhaps we should return to the others now," said the digimon, as he was enveloped in an aquamarine light, when the light dissipated, Crocmon remained.

"Agreed," said George.

* * *

The Emperor was furious; more Digidestined had managed to undermine his dark influence, but it was only a matter of time before he determined how armor digivolution worked and then he would override it.

"Don't think Armor Digivolving will save you," he said, "it won't be long before I find out how to stop that too!"

With that, the Emperor teleported back to his base as the five Tyrannomon launched fireballs at the aerial digimon, who quickly dodged them and prepared to counterattack.

"Star Shower!"

"Queen Paw!"

Pegasusmon flapped his wings and several white stars flew out and knocked back the Tyrannomon.

Nefertimon shot rubies encased in energy from her leg plates. The Tyrannomon were further backed into a corner as the assault continued. One by one, they fell to the ground as their Dark Rings broke.

Pegasusmon and Nefertimon dedigivolved back into Patamon and Gatomon, and a yellow ray of light flew into TK's pocket as a pink one flew into Kari's pocket.

Instinctively, the two reached into their pockets and pulled out the same mini computer the new Digidestined had.

A few moments later, the newly freed Tyrannomon thanked the Digidestined and went stomping off into the sunset.

"Whelp, we're ready to go now," said Davis smiling.

"Uh aren't you forgetting someone?" asked Yolei sweatdropping.

"Oh yeah," said Davis, "George…man it's easy to forget he was here after all we've been through today…"

"He has a point," thought Cody, "and after what the Emperor said about George…it could be a trick, but the Emperor appears to know George better than we do, and George does seem to know a lot about the Emperor. I must talk to him upon our return."

"Well we can't leave if George isn't here," said Kari, "what're we going to do?"

"I wouldn't worry about him if I were you," said TK.

"And why not?" asked Yolei.

"He'll be here in few seconds," replied TK pointing.

Sure enough, a dot had appeared on the horizon and was getting closer and closer. It soon became clear that the dot was George, and indeed he arrived in a few seconds carrying Crocmon on his back and a small box in his hand.

"Sorry if I've kept you waiting," said George, "but I had urgent business to attend to. Anything interesting happen while I was gone?"

"Yeah," said an indignant Davis, "we were attacked by the Emperor!"

"I see," said George, "I apologize for my lack of presence. I assume all went well?"

"Indeed," said Cody, "we found new DigiEggs and Patamon and Gatomon were able to Armor Digivolve."

George nodded thoughtfully, "yeah that makes sense," he mumbled to himself.

Aloud he said, "we should head home."

The others agreed, and they began their hike to the point where they had entered the Digital World. Sure enough, a TV was there and on the other end could be seen a concerned looking Izzy and Sora.

"You might want to step back," advised George as he and the others approached the TV. On the screen Izzy and Sora hastened to give the computer a wide berth.

As the Digidestined held up their digivices for the return trip George noticed the difference in TK's and Kari's.

"Curious," he thought as he glanced at his own, "mine hasn't changed a bit…"

A few moments later the newer Digidestined found themselves in a dog pile on the floor while George was standing upright about a half a foot away.

"How the hell did he manage that?" gripped Davis from his position on the bottom of the pile.

When everyone finally managed to untangle themselves Kari looked at Sora and asked, "how's Tai?"

Sora smiled, "he's just fine apart from the bandages. His sense of humor is as wacky as ever…which reminds me, your parents should be calling you in a few moments for your visitation."

As if on cue, Kari's cell phone rang, and she picked it up.

"Okay, thanks mom," said Kari, "I'll be there in a few."

She hung up.

"That was my mom," said Kari, "she said they're just leaving the hospital now."

"How're you going to get there?" asked TK.

"I could drive you if you need," said Sora.

"Thanks Sora; that sure beats taking the bus," said Kari smiling.

As the two females turned to leave, George cleared his throat.

"Could I get you to give this to Tai for me?" he asked referring to the box.

"Sure," said Kari, "what is it?"

"A little digital medication for what ails him," replied George sagely, "that's where I was today."

"I see, I'm sure he'll thank you," said Kari, and she and Sora left.

Meanwhile, Davis was still fuming about the day's battle. He punched his fist into his other palm aggressively.

"I'm so mad," he said, "just wait till I get my hands on that Digimon Emperor."

"We'll defeat the Emperor," said Izzy, "right George?"

The fallen warrior sighed. "I'm not sure Izzy," he said, causing everyone to glance his way apprehensively, but he then cracked a smile and repeated Davis's hand motions, "but we can sure give him hell."

"What's so different this time?" asked Cody looking up from the feasting digimon, "haven't you all defeated many enemies before?"

"The problem is that we've never faced an enemy who was human before," replied Izzy, "how are we supposed to fight him?"

"That's a good point," remarked Cody thoughtfully.

"Oh yeah?" asked Davis, "what's that?"

"Well," continued Cody slowly and deliberately, "this is quite the little army we've assembled here so far, yet even with Flamedramon, Halsemon, Digmon, Pegasusmon, and Nefertimon, we still don't have enough power to defeat the Digimon Emperor when he's in the Digital World."

"Get to the point already!" demanded Yolei impatiently.

"Well," said Cody hesitantly, "we keep forgetting the fact that the Digimon Emperor is human."

"We know that he's human," heckled Davis, "what's that got to do with anything?"

"He means we have to fight differently," said George.

"How do you suggest we do that?" said Yolei incredulously.

"It would help if you and Davis weren't so cynical and didn't interrupt Cody after every sentence," said George casually.

That quieted them down, and Cody revealed his idea.

"If we find out his human identity maybe we can defeat him from this side where his powers aren't as strong," he suggested.

"What'd we do?" asked Davis, forgetting George's reprimand, "knock on doors and ask for the Digimon Emperor?"

"He could be anywhere in the world," remarked Izzy.

"I knew I shouldn't have expressed my opinions," Cody thought solemnly, "now they'll all just make fun of me…"

"Well," said Yolei, "you're a little young to be worrying about those things Cody."

"Yeah," said Davis, "just let us older kids come up with a plan."

With that, he and most of the other Digidestined left the computer lab leaving Cody, George, and their digimon behind.

George pulled out a beer and began drinking. Cody looked on in mild disgust.

"Sorry," apologized George, "just a bad habit I picked up during a particularly depressing battle in the Digital World…keeps me sane."

Cody just nodded.

"I happened to believe that your idea was ingenious Cody," he continued, "all you have to do is figure out a way to learn the Emperor's identity."

"I'm beginning to have my suspicions," said Cody looking George square in the eyes, "you appear to have an astounding control over the Digital World beyond that of a normal Digidestined."

George sighed; he had known this confrontation was going to occur the moment he had laid eyes on Cody.

"Very well," said the fallen warrior, "I suppose some explaining is in order…"

* * *

In a darkened room, a boy wearing a gray school uniform sat in front of a computer screen typing rapidly.

On the screen was a map with black and white squares. As the boy continued typing, he smiled a dark and sinister smile.

"Tomorrow's another day," he said ominously.

Narrator: What is the Digimon Emperor up to and what secrets will George reveal? Find out next time on Digimon: Digital Monsters!

(21 and George are running from the duck-tank. Suddenly, 21 pulls out a notebook and begins writing.)

George: What're you doing? This is no time to write the next chapter! We're in a bit of a bind here!

21: I know that, I'm writing a clause that will give you your powers back.

(21 finishes writing, and George begins glowing in his blue-green aura.)

George: Aww yeah! I'm back baby!

Sponsor: Uh-oh...

(George pokes the tank, which promptly blows up leaving a charred Sponsor in its wake.)

George: Just goes to show, you don't mess with the best.

(21 resumes writing and the aura disappears from around George.)

George: Aww man! Why'd you have to take my powers away again!

21: Sorry, but the plot must go on. You'll really like the next episode though...

George: We'll see...

(21 and George leave. The Sponsor coughs out a cloud of ashes and falls over.)

Narrator: I'm still alive!

(George returns and tackles the Narrator.)


	4. Power Unleashed

21: Sorry about the delay between chapters, but some of us needed lunch.

Sponsor: You mean despite everything you ate before you were still hungry?

George: Silly Sponsor, that stuff we ate before was a mere snack.

Sponsor: A s-s-snack?

21: Yep.

Sponsor: HOW THE HECK CAN YOU IDIOTS EAT SO MUCH!

George: Dunno, we just get hungry...

21: Perhaps our metabolisms are faster than the speed of light...

Sponsor: Just tell me this is the last time I gotta get dragged out to deal with you and your shenanigans today.

21: Yeah, probably...

George: So, what happens in this episode?

21: You'll see, and you'll like it too.

George: Excellent! Then let's get rolling shall we?

(21 and George stare at the Sponsor, who is writing calculations on the wall.)

Sponsor: Let's see. In order to not gain any weight, a person's metabolism must be at least 2Qm/ht, where Q is the electrical constant, m is the mass of food consumed, h is Planck's constant, and t is time...thus if they consume 1000 tons of food per meal, their metabolism must be...

21: HEY!

George: Let's get a move on shall we?

(21 and George begin to poke the Sponsor repeatedly until he surrenders.)

Sponsor: FINE, The21stMartian doesn't own Digimon, so do not sue him.

21: Excellent. By the way, you do realize your whole equation was wrong.

Sponsor: What?

George: There is no known way to calculate metabolism, so don't even try it.

Sponsor: But, but I was going to prove once and for all that you two are a couple of freaks!

21: Your purpose for doing so would be...?

Sponsor: It would violate our contract if you two were freaks.

21: Hmmmm...I wonder what the X-Men would have to say about that...

(A flash of red light is seen as Cyclops, Wolverine, Colossus, Gambit, Magneto, Sabertooth, and Rogue appear.)

Colossus: Did I hear you desire to see mutant?

Wolverine: I don't care who you are bub, nobody insults me and gets away with it.

Cyclops: I don't take to kindly to your intolerant behavior

Gambit: Mon Ami, I tink maybe you've made a little...mistake

Rogue: Y'all need ta learn some manners!

Magneto: Insolent human! I shall make you pay for the crimes of your kind!

Sabertooth: (random growls)

(The Sponsor tries to run away, but gets buried under a pile of mad mutants.)

George: The21stMartian does not own the X-Men...

Sponsor: HELP!

21: My dear George, I believe we're due for another snack.

George: I think you are quite correct. We can check up on our dear Sponsor later...

(21 and George leave. The Sponsor is still being attacked.)

Episode 4: Power Unleashed

"George here, last time, I spoke with the Kamiyas with regard to Tai's injuries and was very lucky to escape with minor reprimanding from both them and the other Digidestined who were not pleased with my lack of action. Afterwards, I kept an eye on Tai while the others went to school. Tai woke up and wanted Sora, so I got to go to the Digital World instead of her, but just when I got there I was called away on urgent business. While I was gone, the new Digidestined fell under attack by the Emperor's Tyrannomon squad. Fortunately, Patamon and Gatomon were able to Armor Digivolve and saved the day, but now Cody suspects me of being the Digimon Emperor…I think I have some explaining to do."

Sora dropped Kari off at the hospital and drove off wondering about the parcel George had given the younger Kamiya sibling.

Kari meanwhile ran into the hospital to see her brother. Despite visiting hours nearly being over, she was allowed in because she was family.

As she entered room 365, she saw Tai propped up by a bunch of pillows.

"So?" he asked eagerly, "what happened in the Digital World today?"

"It's nice to see you too," said Kari wryly.

"Yeah, yeah, just tell me what happened already!" exclaimed Tai impatiently.

Kari related the story of their arrival in the Digital World, the discovery of more Digieggs, the Emperor's trap, and finally Pegasusmon and Nefertimon. Tai's eyes grew wider and wider as the story unfolded.

"Awww no fair!" he gripped at the end, "why can your digimon Armor Digivolve and mine can't?"

"I'm not sure…" replied Kari.

"…so, what's in the box?" asked Tai suddenly.

"The attention span of a gnat," thought Kari while aloud she said, "some special medicine from George."

"Really?" asked Tai making a pouting face, "no cookies?"

"Not so far as I know, sorry," said Kari handing him the box.

Tai quickly opened it and found a card with instructions and a vial full of a strange rainbow colored substance. It wasn't quite a liquid, nor a gas, but rather somewhere in between the two states.

Tai and Kari stared at the substance in a trance for a few moments before Kari recognized it.

"I don't believe it!" she exclaimed.

"What?" asked Tai.

"That's Magna Antidote," explained Kari, "but only MagnaAngemon can make that…how did George manage to procure some?"

"He has his connections," replied Tai opening the card, "remember, he's been around the digital block for a few thousand years or so."

Tai and Kari read the card to find George's barely legible scrawl.

**Tai,**

**Enclosed I hope you find a vial of Magna Antidote (it wasn't easy to get, so read the instructions before use).**

**Get well soon!**

**George**

**Instructions:**

**1. Open vial by carefully unscrewing the cork.**

**2. Apply Antidote to the worst burns. ONE DROP PER BURN.**

**3. Mix the remaining Antidote (should be at least half the vial's worth) with a soda of your choice (this step is optional, but Magna Antidote tastes really bad).**

**4. Drink the soda as quickly as possible.**

**5. Sleep, the Magna Antidote will heal you while you rest.**

**If all goes well, you should be up and out of bed by tomorrow morning; otherwise I'll know you screwed up.**

Tai quickly began the procedure (though he nearly forgot step 1, for which Kari corrected him). Within moments of consumption, the Antidote began its work and Tai was out cold. Kari called her parents and got a ride home. For the rest of the night she thought about Tai and the Antidote, hoping it would work.

* * *

Alone in the darkened computer lab, Cody and George sat in silence for a few minutes carefully observing each other, until George finally broke the silence.

"Well Cody," he said, "what would you like to know first?"

"Who exactly are you and how did you become a Digidestined?" asked Cody.

"Well, until about eight human years ago I was a normal kid just like everybody else. The night after our middle school graduation, my friends and I were celebrating when suddenly the electronics started behaving bizarrely. As I investigated, five digivices flew out of my laptop. Next thing any of us knew, we were in a strange world with strange creatures following us," explained George fondly recalling his original adventure into the Digital World, "does that answer your question?"

Cody nodded and asked another question, "what happened during your first adventure?"

"That's another story for another day," sighed George, "but during my initial adventure I received a horrible revelation."

"Does this have anything to do with your not being fully human?" asked Cody.

"Sharp as a tack I see," chuckled George, "you are indeed correct. You see, I was the very first human to ever be transported into the Digital World, and there were…unforeseen complications with the transportation program."

The fallen warrior paused for a few moments and pulled out another beer before continuing sadly.

"A virus in the program attacked me and ate nearly half of my body before the program was paused…fortunately, none of the others were affected," he said.

What happened then?" asked Cody, "you couldn't have survived with only half a body."

"Quite correct," said George, "while in a state of stasis, I was transported to a medical facility where my missing pieces were replaced with digital replicas. Now, I'm the only human-digimon hybrid that exists."

"How did you discover this?" asked the 4th grader.

"I was accidentally transported back into the real world after our final battle on Upload Island. At the time, the data was unprocessed and came out blurry and pixilated, so it was clear something was amiss," replied George.

"What happened next?" asked Cody.

"As you can imagine, I didn't take the news well. I went berserk and nearly blew up the island and my friends…it's not a memory I look upon with pride," said George, "nor is it something I talk about very often."

"How could you possibly blow up an island?" asked Cody.

"At the point in the adventure where I found out about the accident, we had just received our Crests," said George indicating the symbol, "we were unsure as to what exactly they were capable of, and I corrupted mine."

"I still don't understand," said Cody.

"Each Crest has a meaning behind it, for example, Tai's is the Crest of Courage and Izzy's is the Crest of Knowledge. In my case, my Crest happens to be the Crest of Power," explained George, "on my own, I am roughly as strong as a Champion level digimon like Tyrannomon, but, until recently, with the Crest of Power, I could utilize as much power as I felt like."

"That sounds like a rather dangerous Crest," said Cody, then something clicked, "and that's what Crocmon meant when he said he is a Warrior of Power right?"

"Yes, our title comes from the Crest we bear, and yes it is a most dangerous Crest," said George, "if it becomes too corrupted it can achieve its full evil potential as the Crest of Darkness, which is why it was entrusted to me."

"And yet," interjected Cody, "the first thing you did with your new found power was go on a rampage."

"I've learned a lot since then, and certain events during my initial journey have served as constant reminders to me of what my limits are," remarked George, "I only use as much power as I have direct control over."

"It sounds like you have an incredible amount of self-control," said Cody, "if what you're telling me is true of course."

George sighed. "You still suspect me of being the Emperor, don't you?" he asked.

The 4th grader nodded solemnly.

"What about me causes you to believe that?" asked George.

"You haven't been much of a help to us in the Digital World," replied Cody, "and I've never seen you and the Emperor in the same place at the same time. Furthermore, the Emperor seems to have superhuman powers, and you're the only one I know who fits that description. Additionally, the Emperor seems to think that he is the ultimate destiny of the Digidestined, a trait of arrogance that you happen to share. Lastly, when the Emperor was speaking about you today, he was a little too convincing in his hatred of you; if we believe the Emperor hates you, we will not think to accuse you of being him."

"A very astute analysis," said George, "but I think I can answer your concerns."

The fallen warrior closed his eyes, took a deep gulp of his beverage, and calmly began.

"The reason I have not helped you in the Digital World is because I have been trying to teach you important lessons about the Digital World that you would not have learned if I was present, and the results of my absence today should be visible tomorrow. If I have come across as arrogant I apologize, but I am not the best mentor. The older Digidestined's digimon can vouch for me being in the same place as the Emperor at the same time. The Emperor's alleged 'superpowers' come from hacking capabilities whereas mine are from my Crest. As such his powers do not exist in this world, while mine do. Finally, as time goes on you will see that the Emperor really does hate me as much as he claims," he said.

"…wait," said Cody, "you still have powers in the real world?"

"Yep," said George.

To prove his point, George began levitating and flew across the room.

"I'd like to see the Emperor try to do that," he scoffed.

For an encore, he charged up an energy ball in his palm and flicked it out the window. The ball impacted into a tree and knocked it over.

"…you have convinced me," said Cody, "for now."

"I'm happy to hear—" began George.

"But it wasn't because of your words," continued Cody, "it was your actions, or lack thereof, that convinced me. At any point during this conversation you could have killed me, but you didn't. The real Emperor would hasten at the chance to do so, our encounter with him today proved that to me."

"Is there anything else you'd like to know while we're here?" asked George.

"Yes," answered Cody, "how could you have defended the Digital World for thousands of years when you yourself are no older than 22?"

"I am 22 in human years," answered George, "you see, the Digital World was not always as in sinc with the real world as it is today. For a while, a day in the Digital world was only equal to about a minute in the real world. After my comrades left the Digital World after our first adventure, I opted to stay behind in the Digital World."

"Why?" asked Cody.

"I wouldn't have fit in back here," answered George, "remember that my data components were not as advanced back then as they are now. They'd have remained blurry and virtually unusable. Anyways, I stayed in the Digital World for a few thousand years before I was finally told to take a break, at which time I returned here to make a life for myself. Eventually I was informed that the Digital World was in trouble again and, four years ago, returned to the Digital World to help out. Since then, I've been spending most of my time in the Digital World, and when the Emperor came around I did my best to overthrow him."

"I see," said Cody, "and if I might ask when in this time line you picked up your…interesting habit."

"During the first major battle since my friends left. I was alone and afraid. Day after day after day I would fight. Friends and comrades were dying and there appeared to be nothing I could do. I drank to forget my sorrows…" said George quietly, "it was a depressing period in my life…"

"Why does the Emperor hate you so much?" asked Cody.

"There are a quite a few reasons. First off, I remind him too much of his past. Second, he views me as everything he thinks he should be…the list goes on," said George, "we'll talk more about K-I mean the Emperor-later."

Cody nodded and turned to watch the digimon who were still eating. After a few moments of silence he turned back to George.

"Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions, but now I think I should be heading home," said Cody, "my mother will be anxious if I am late."

With that, he picked up Upamon and George picked up DemiCrocmon and the two departed the computer lab.

* * *

The next morning found Tai Kamiya feeling better than he'd felt in ages. As soon as he woke up, he knew the antidote had worked. He got up, stretched, and told the doctors he was ready to go home.

This, of course, resulted in some skepticism on the doctors' part, and the elder Kamiya sibling was subject to multiple tests. A few hours later, when they couldn't find a thing wrong with him, Tai was released from the hospital, but still under medical supervision.

As he checked out, Tai heard the doctor congratulating the flummoxed specialist on the miracle she'd performed; there wasn't even a single scar!

Tai chuckled to himself as he thought of the real reason for his health and resolved to thank George at the earliest opportunity.

* * *

The school day had been a slow one, and Kari nervously glanced at the clock all day. She kept wondering whether or not the antidote had worked and how her brother was doing, but, as soon as her final class was finished, she got her answer.

"Hey sis," said Tai as Kari left the classroom, "I was just in the neighborhood trying to catch up on missed schoolwork and I thought I'd drop by. Perhaps I can join you in the Digital World this afternoon?"

"Don't you have soccer practice?" asked Kari.

"I'm not allowed to participate in sports until the doctors say so," grumbled Tai, "even though they couldn't find anything wrong with me."

As the two entered the computer lab, all eyes fell on Tai. Instantly, those assembled (sans Cody) smiled joyfully.

"Coach!" exclaimed Davis as he ran towards his mentor.

"Good to see you back on your feet," remarked Izzy.

"How're you feeling?" asked Yolei.

"Welcome back," said Cody.

"How's it going Tai?" asked George, "you tell your girlfriend you're out yet?"

"Easy, easy," said Tai bemused as everyone's questions and comments bombarded him, "it's good to be back Izzy, I'm feeling fine Yolei, thanks Cody, she's at soccer practice George, and why aren't you at our soccer practice Davis?"

"Eh, well," stammered Davis, "I kinda figured this whole Digital World thing was a little more important, besides, you can coach me on weekends!"

Tai nodded, that was enough small talk; it was time to get busy.

"What's the mission of the day?" he asked.

"I was just telling everyone about a stadium the Emperor built not far from where they were yesterday," replied George, "I suggest we take it out."

"What about guards?" asked Izzy, "you can be sure the Emperor has plenty of them guarding that area."

"I'm not so sure," said George, "after yesterday, he may have decided to give up that small territory in order to better defend others, but he wouldn't have freed the prisoners."

"It sounds great!" exclaimed Davis, "our first chance to take the fight to him for a change!"

"Easy does it kid," said George smirking, "your enthusiasm is appreciated, but don't get carried away."

"Where're the digimon?" asked Tai.

"I sent them ahead to do a little recon," replied George, "they should be reporting soon."

A few seconds later, Crocmon's face appeared on the computer screen.

"All clear," he said, "there are still prisoners, but we haven't seen any guards yet."

"Fine, we're coming in," said Tai.

With that, the Digidestined (sans Izzy) transported to the Digital World.

A few moments later, Crocmon, Agumon, Patamon, Gatomon, Veemon, Armadillomon, Hawkmon, and Tentomon appeared.

"Tai you're all right!" exclaimed Agumon, "Gatomon told me you had been hurt badly when we fought against Birdramon!"

"I was," replied Tai as the orange dinosaur hugged him, "but George sent me a remedy that healed me much quicker."

"So that's where he was yesterday," thought Cody.

"Enough chat-chit!" exclaimed Davis, "we've got a prison to bust!"

* * *

It was a peaceful day for the citizens of Santa Geria, the Gazimon inhabitants and visitors had enjoyed a day of festivity celebrating the town's 100th anniversary.

Among the visitors was a Gabumon. He had fled File Island when the Emperor had threatened to capture him and his friends and gone into hiding here in this remote town. Thus far, his stay had been a pleasant one, but he had remained ignorant of new information as there were several small mountains surrounding the village and information traveled slowly (even though digimon do love to gossip). Thus, the Gabumon had no idea that the Digidestined had returned, otherwise he wouldn't have been in Santa Geria on this particular day, but he didn't know and he was there, so let us continue.

As the morning's celebrations drew to a close, the town had gathered in the square for a speech by the mayor, an elderly Gazimon.

"My dear friends," began the mayor, and that's when all hell broke loose.

A black obelisk ripped through the ground mere feet from the mayor as a horde of Vegiemon charged in and began capturing the residents. Behind the Vegiemon stood the Digimon Emperor cracking his whip.

"This town now belongs to me!" he exclaimed, "anyone want to protest that claim?"

Gabumon broke free from his Vegiemon captor and pushed to the front of the crowd. Determination shone in his eyes.

"I do," shouted the horned digimon.

The Emperor glanced at the Gabumon and recognized him instantly.

"I know you!" said the Emperor quietly, "you are the partner of Matt Ishida, one of the Digidestined. Well, Gabumon, where are your friends now?"

"I'll never tell you," spat Gabumon, "Blue Blaster!"

A stream of blue fire (as cold as ice, but otherwise with the same properties as normal fire) was blown out of Gabumon's mouth directly at the Emperor.

Suddenly, the stream was blocked as a massive red plant-like digimon stepped in its path.

"Nobody harms the Emperor!" he exclaimed, "or you'll have to deal with me, RedVegiemon!"

"RedVegiemon here is the meanest and ripest of all the Vegiemon," explained the Emperor, "you don't want to mess with his Stink Jet attack."

RedVegiemon began whaling on Gabumon striking him with the clubbed and spiked green tips of his tentacles. The Rookie digimon tried to fight back, but he was no match for a Champion digimon, especially with the Emperor's power dampener in effect. He collapsed after a few blows, but RedVegiemon wasn't finished yet. He raised his tentacles for another blow.

"RedVegiemon stop!" commanded the Emperor.

"Yes your highness!" said the red vegetable.

"Vegiemon, take the Gazimon and imprison them for my amusement; I've got plans for Gabumon here," said the Emperor, cracking his whip.

A Dark Ring appeared.

Too weak to resist, Gabumon could only watch as the evil device got closer and closer.

"Matt!" he thought frantically.

* * *

Matt, being at band practice, could not hear his digivice as it attempted to alert him to the peril his partner was in.

* * *

"Pepper Breath!" exclaimed Agumon launching a fireball from his mouth.

The fireball collided against the jail bars melting some and breaking others.

"Vee Headbutt!" exclaimed Veemon charging at what remained of the bars and blasting through them towards the Gotsumon on the other side.

"C'mon guys!" he exclaimed, "let's rock!"

As the Digidestined and the former captives ran from the abandoned arena Davis exclaimed, "that was easy!"

"You guys are now officially fugitives!" said Agumon, as the Gotsumon collapsed on the grass (running wasn't their thing).

A few moments later, George and Crocmon ran from the prison, having stayed behind to triple check each cell and to see if they could find any information regarding the location of the Emperor's main base.

Seconds after they cleared the arena, it blew up.

"What the hell just happened?" asked Davis.

"Alarm system," said George, "I must've accidentally triggered it when I attempted to hack the controls on the throne."

"Even with the alarm system it bothers me how easy it was for us to break out of that prison. There wasn't a single guard anywhere. It's like he wanted us to do it. I think he's up to something," said TK.

"You're crazy!" exclaimed Davis, "he took one look at our awesome skills and hit the road. Isn't that right Kari?"

"Ummm," said Kari hesitantly, "actually Davis, I'm going to have to agree with TK. This guy is not going to let us get away that easy without some kind of reason."

"We'll worry about it later," said Tai thoughtfully, "Let's get back to the real world, I'm starving!"

As the rest of the Digidestined turned to leave, Cody saw George staring at a tall black obelisk not too far away.

"I'm going to stay here for a while," said the fallen warrior, "there's some stuff I need to get done. I'll be back later."

The other Digidestined nodded and continued on their way. Cody looked back just before they left and saw George still staring at the tower.

"They're gone," said Crocmon as the TV's light dimmed.

"You know what needs to be done," said George.

The reptilian digimon nodded, and George pulled out his digivice.

"DigiArmor Energize!"

"Crocmon Armor Digivolve to—Sobekmon, the Steel Soldier of Power!"

Gone was the pygmy crocodile, and in his place was a bipedal being covered completely in royal blue armor with yellow joints. The chest plate was painted to look like a gigantic crocodile head, and his leg armor contained rocket thrusters and accelerators. He wore a yellow belt that contained several pockets, and his gauntlet covered arms contained several hidden weapons. On his left hip was a holster that contained a nasty looking pistol, and on his back he wore a rifle over which he wore a tattered black cloak. His tail could turn into an electrified whip at will. His head was helmeted, but spiky blond hair stuck out the back. The helmet contained a pin laser and had a black visor that shielded Sobekmon's eyes and hid them from view. The visor could also calculate trajectories and project the images to Sobekmon.

George nodded, and the reptilian soldier charged at the tower knocking it down.

* * *

"Let's go! I have an early tea time," exclaimed the Emperor as he whipped his Vegiemon, twelve of which struggled to lift the litter the Emperor was on. As the litter was carried away, the Emperor's digivice gave a tiny beep prompting the Emperor to glance at it. As he suspected, his amplification device in the arena's sector had been destroyed, and he knew the prime suspect.

"Ah well," he thought, "it is of little consequence."

Watching the Emperor's litter from the jail was a young Gazimon. As soon as the litter had cleared the town, he jumped down from the window and nodded at the other Gazimon in the cell.

"Electric Stun Blast!"

The blue rabbits launched small bolts of blue electricity at the bars, knocking them over. As the other Gazimon began to break free as well, a weird howling was heard echoing throughout the town.

"What do you suppose that was?" asked a spooked Gazimon.

"Whatever it was, we don't want to find out," answered another.

With that, the Gazimon ran from the detention area through the city streets. It wasn't long however, before the source of the howling was made clear.

A large lupine digimon stood in front of the fleeing Gazimon blocking their path. He had white fur with blue stripes. He had a feather-like mane and several feather-like points above his front legs and smaller ones on either side of his long tufted tail. His feet ended in four purple claws, and his normally yellow eyes were red. A dark ring was attached to his front right leg.

"I am Garurumon, and if any of you attempt to get past me, I'll destroy you with my Howling Blaster attack!" said the digimon.

"Oh no," said the Gazimon mayor sadly, "poor Gabumon…"

"We don't have time to worry," said another, "quick let's go back the way we came!"

"I'm afraid you can't do that either," said RedVegiemon, as he and several Vegiemon appeared behind the terrified Gazimon.

"We're trapped!" exclaimed a Gazimon.

"What'd we do with them?" asked Garurumon.

"Perhaps a few hundred lashes are in order," said RedVegiemon as he began lashing out his roots viciously

The Vegiemon followed suit as Garurumon stood by and watched.

The agonized cries of the Gazimon pierced the silence of the afternoon.

* * *

"AAAAAAAAAIEEEEEEEEE!" screamed Izzy as several rock-like creatures fell out of the computer with the Digidestined.

He took a deep breath and stared Tai right in the eyes.

"Are you crazy bringing the Gotsumon back from the Digital World?" he demanded.

"We didn't have a choice," defended Tai, "we couldn't just leave them there for the Digimon Emperor to make into slaves right?"

"Yep," affirmed his sister.

"How are we going to explain their presence should a teacher come in here?" Izzy wanted to know.

"In that unlikely event, I've developed an alibi," said Davis proudly, "I'll say that I'm taking a sculpting class and that these are some of my early masterpieces."

"Do you actually think anybody will believe _you're _taking a sculpting class?" Izzy asked incredulously.

"Hey!" said Davis, "stranger things have happened!"

Izzy sighed; he wasn't going to win this battle.

"Yolei," he said changing the subject, "I've got a big favor to ask. Would it be alright with you if I borrowed your digivice?"

"Of course Izzy," said Yolei dreamily fishing out the device, "but what for?"

"There are several programs on your digivice that do not appear to be in our model. I would like to see what the upgrades can do," replied the boy genius.

"I see," said Yolei, "what exactly would you be doing with it?"

"I wanted to try an experiment with the new digivices, if that's okay with you," replied Izzy.

"Fine, but it better be in working condition when I get it back," said Yolei.

"Don't worry," said Izzy, "I'll be working with an expert."

At this, Izzy noticed the absence of the Warriors of Power.

"Where's George?" he asked.

"He said he had some business to take care of in the Digital World and told us all he'd catch up," said Cody.

"Fine," said Izzy heading for the door, "when he returns please inform him I have departed and can be found at my domicile."

With that Izzy left leaving a confused Tai and Davis.

"Anyone wanna translate?" asked the youngest gogglehead.

Cody sighed.

"He said, when George gets back we need to tell him that Izzy went home."

"Well why didn't he just say so?" asked Tai.

"Don't you have a girlfriend to pester?" asked Kari jokingly.

"Omigosh I forgot!" yelped Tai, "Sora doesn't know I got out of the hospital yet!"

With that, the gogglehead ran out the door towards the soccer field.

"I hope she's still there," he thought desperately.

* * *

Upon George's return to the Izumi's a few hours later, he and Izzy promptly began work on the new digivice. As Izzy watched, George pulled out several tools from his backpack and carefully removed the outer cover. Inside could be seen several gears and wires looping around in a confusing manner that made no sense.

"Hmmm," said George, "this one's a little more complicated than the last one was. Let's see what we can find out from the computer."

Izzy took out an adapter cable and connected the digivice to his laptop. He attempted to access the digivice's data from there. Unfortunately, he met with a minor problem; the device's security system would not allow him access.

"What'd we do now?" asked Izzy.

George cracked his knuckles and began typing like crazy.

"Leave it to me," was all he said.

* * *

"**It may not always be that way!"**

The blond haired singer looked around the crowded concert hall. Screaming fans had packed into the room and were waving light sticks.

"**You can't take nothing for granted!"**

The singer's eyes wandered to a particular person in the audience. This was the first time his little brother had come to see him and his band perform.

"**You've gotta live life today!"**

The fans got hyped as the band led up to the chorus.

"**I turn around I can see what's behind me!"**

The crowd began to sing along.

"**I turn back around I can see what's ahead!"**

The audience got even more excited as the song drew to a close.

"**I've been here all along. Just turn around…"**

The lead singer closed his eyes in anticipation of the song's end.

"**Just turn around…just turn around…"**

The last few words hung in the air for a moment before spontaneous cheering occurred. The lead singer smiled at his band-mates. The Teenage Wolves had another successful concert…but what else was new?

Something on the edge of his vision caught his attention, and he turned to find his brother waving at him.

"I'll see you guys later," said Matt Ishida (for of course that's who the singer was).

He caught up with his brother as he was leaving the concert hall.

"Nice concert bro," said TK casually.

"Thanks TK," said Matt smiling, "how've things been going in the Digital World?"

"Today we liberated prisoners from the Emperor's arena," said TK as an idea dawned on him, "by the way, could you hide about a dozen Gotsumon while we attempt to figure out how to free their home from the Emperor?"

Matt sighed as he remembered the Gotsumon from Myotismon's army…

"Listen TK," he said, "just because I have a rock band doesn't mean I can hide a band of rocks that happen to be digimon."

"But they could be your band's gimmick. Every band has a gimmick right?" asked TK.

"Sorry TK," sighed Matt, "I don't think the other guys would go along with it."

TK opened his mouth to protest when he was cut off by a loud shriek accompanied by a tall skinny girl with brown eyes and spiky reddish brown hair.

She ran up to Matt and held out a marker.

"Can I have your autograph?" she asked turning around.

"Sure," said Matt perfectly used to this behavior, "what's your name?"

"Just make it to Jun Motomiya," replied the girl as Matt began writing.

TK hadn't quite recovered from the shriek yet, so he asked, "did you say Motomiya?"

The girl nodded, a little confused.

"You wouldn't happen to be Davis's sister would you?" asked TK.

"Yeah that's right," replied Jun, "and who're you?"

"He's TK," replied Matt, "he's my little brother."

"It's nice to meet you Jun," said TK, "Davis and I are in the same class together."

"Will you sign my shirt too?" asked Jun, "I get all the cute boys to sign it."

TK lifted the marker to sign the shirt and noticed all the signatures already there, including some familiar names like Tai and even Izzy. He also noticed George's familiar, nearly illegible, scrawl towards the upper left corner despite the fact that he'd only been hanging around for a couple of days.

"There's not a lot of room," remarked the hat wearing boy as he signed next to Tai's signature.

"I know," explained Jun, "I think all boys are cute."

Suddenly, TK's mini computer beeped. He had received an email from Yolei.

**Emergency! Hurry back to school, and bring Matt with you!**

TK grabbed his brother and ran out the door.

"Something's come up; we've got to go," he said as he ran, leaving behind a slightly bewildered Jun.

The elder Motomiya sibling shrugged, it was probably a rock star thing…

* * *

"Back off Davis you're making me nervous!" shouted Yolei. Earlier, the Digidestined had sent the older kid's partners back into the Digital world to try to locate the other Digidestined's partners. Yolei had gotten a signal from Tentomon, but she was having trouble finding the sector it had come from.

"Can't you go any faster," whined Davis.

TK and Matt ran in.

"What's going on?" demanded Matt.

"Tentomon's found Gabumon," replied Cody, "but unfortunately he has been enslaved by the Emperor."

Matt's eyes grew narrow, "who does that punk think he is?" he growled.

"Relax Matt," said TK, "we'll get him back."

"Okay!" exclaimed Yolei, "I found the sector Tentomon's message emanated from!"

"What're we waiting for? Let's go!" exclaimed Davis holding up his digivice.

One bright flash of light later, and the Digidestined found themselves in a rocky plain…well except one.

"Crap!" exclaimed Yolei, "I forgot that Izzy has my digivice!"

The lavender haired girl bolted from the computer lab, and Poromon came into view on the TV portal.

"Have no fear while Yolei's gone," said the pink blob, "for this place shall be guarded by Poromon."

"Keep in touch," said Davis, giving the tiny bird a thumbs up.

* * *

George cackled manically as the security system collapsed. He pushed the newly appeared "Download" button on the screen as he and Izzy sat back to wait.

In the interim, George began poking around the new digivice's innards with a tiny flashlight in one hand, and a small pair of tweezers in the other.

Suddenly, someone knocked on the guest room door.

"Izzy? Are you in there?" came Yoshie Izumi's voice, "there's someone here to see you."

George poked his head out of the room suspiciously; when he saw Yolei he opened the door fully.

"It's a little messy in there," he warned, "Izzy and I are conducting an experiment."

"What kind of experiment?" asked Yoshie, "may I see?"

She poked her head into the room and saw a bunch of gears and wires. She also saw a strange device jacked into her son's old pineapple laptop.

"What sort of experiment is this?" she asked suspiciously.

"Well," said George smoothly, "one of my new game systems isn't working properly. We're trying to find what the problem is, and since we're not sure if it's a virus we're using Izzy's old computer."

"It's kind of complicated mom," said Izzy, "can we have some quiet please?"

As soon as she left, the two younger teens breathed a sigh of relief.

"You're an excellent liar," remarked Izzy in clear admiration, "I'm not even sure a detector could catch you."

"You get good at it when you've been trying to hide the existence of another world for as long as I have," said George shrugging.

Yolei looked at her disassembled digivice and groaned.

"How soon can you piece this thing back together again?" she asked, "we've got a digital emergency."

"Awwww," said George, "and I had finally managed to crack the security encryption. That wasn't easy I'll have you know; the security in these models is much more advanced than in the older models."

"I'll take your word for it," said Yolei quickly, "but we're needed in the Digital World ASAP, so stop complaining and get back to work!"

George looked around at the mess of gears and wires, and at the download bar which was just passing 3%.

"You CAN put it back together right?" said Yolei threateningly.

George smirked.

"Of course I can," he said smugly, "who exactly do you think you're dealing with here, an amateur?"

Before Yolei could yell at him again, the Warrior of Power picked up his tools and started fitting the pieces back together. He looked up from his work.

"Five minutes, tops" he said as he looked back down.

* * *

"There you are!" exclaimed Tentomon in his perpetually worried tone, "I thought something happened to you."

"What's the situation Tentomon?" asked Matt evenly.

"It's terrible," exclaimed the red bug, "the Emperor has captured the nearby town of Santa Geria. From what I'd heard, Gabumon hid there after the Emperor found us on File Island. He tried to stand up to the Emperor and was captured."

"What about the rest of the town?" asked TK.

"The Emperor's minions are holding the Gazimon inhabitants prisoner. They tried to stage a jailbreak earlier today…it didn't end well," said Tentomon, "most of them were deleted by the Emperor's goons."

"That dishonorable fiend," exclaimed Cody.

"What're we waiting for then?" asked Davis, "let's go kick some butt!"

The gogglehead started heading towards the town, but Matt grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Wait!" exclaimed the rock star, "We can't just rush in there. For all we know this could be some sort of trap!"

"All we have to do is armor digivolve and blow them away," said Davis cockily.

Matt sighed.

"I can see why George was mad at these guys," he thought.

"It's not that simple Davis," said TK, "the Emperor could be using some of the hostages as a shield to protect himself."

"TK's right," said Kari, "we need to find a way to rescue the hostages and make sure that none of them get hurt."

Davis groaned. "Man, she's agreeing with TE _again_," he thought.

"From what I saw, it appears as though most of the guards are Vegiemon," Tentomon said, "although Garurumon and RedVegiemon significantly boost their ranks."

As Tentomon continued to explain the situation, Davis, Cody, and their digimon were standing somewhat apart from the rest of the group.

"Hmph," said Davis, "I can see we're not needed around here. Let's go off and do things our own way."

"Since when do I act as recklessly as you?" demanded Cody coldly as he walked over to the rest of the group.

"Shit," Davis swore under his breath, "what's gotten into everyone?"

"Okay," said Matt noticing some obsidian layers nearby, "I've got a plan to sneak us into the prison."

As the four Digidestined and the digimon moved towards the city, Davis was left behind.

"Wait a minute!" the gogglehead explained, "it's too dangerous! We can't take the chance that any of us, especially Kari, gets captured."

"It's the fastest way to the prison," remarked Cody.

"And we've been through a lot worse than being captured right Kari?" asked TK.

"Yeah!" agreed the younger Kamiya sibling.

"Argh," groaned Davis, "I can't believe you're not worried about Kari's well being TA!"

"TA?" asked Matt incredulously, "is it possible you forgot how to spell TK?"

Everyone (sans Cody and Davis) chuckled.

"Alright," said Matt, "we're going to need some of that obsidian. Tentomon, do you think you could make it look like the Dark Rings?"

"I'll give it a try," said the insectoid digimon.

A few moments later, Matt's plan was in progress, and the Digidestined and their digimon were marching towards the town's gateway. As they approached, Gatomon noticed another tall black tower within the town.

"Those things have been popping up a lot lately," she mused.

"I hear that the Emperor calls them Control Spires," said Tentomon, "I'm not sure what they do, but with a name like that it can't be good!"

"So we'll just have to destroy it!" exclaimed Davis.

Cody remembered George's mysterious obsession earlier with a similar tower.

"For once I agree with Davis," he thought, "if that tower was made by the Emperor it must be destroyed."

At this point, the procession was approaching the gate and was within eyesight of the Vegiemon guards.

"Stop right there!" exclaimed Vegiemon guard number 1.

"Identify yourselves!" demanded Vegiemon guard number 2.

"It's okay," said Gatomon raising her paw to reveal a black ring, "we're one of you. We've just captured these digimon and their friends."

"Where're you taking us?" demanded TK.

"Pipe down," drawled Armadillomon, "y'all are goin' to jail where ya belong!"

The Vegiemon guards laughed evilly.

As they passed through the gate, they saw pink blobs dripping down on either side of them. Instinctively, everyone knew what they were…digimon excrement.

Davis inwardly shuddered at the thought of that stuff touching Kari, but that doesn't really matter in the overall scheme now does it?

As the procession continued deeper into enemy territory, they saw more evidence of the Vegiemon occupation. There was pink sludge everywhere, in the streets, on the houses, on the trees, dripping down statues…everywhere.

When they got to the center of town however, this was a different story. The area around the black tower was perfectly clean, and the tower itself was spotless as it gleamed in the late afternoon sun. Scores of Vegiemon soldiers stood guard over the tower, but there was no sign of RedVegiemon or Garurumon.

Finally, they reached the prison. There were more Vegiemon guards nearby watching over the remaining Gazimon. The Digidestined and Tentomon were unceremoniously dumped into the nearest cell.

"Thanks for bringing the prisoners in. The Emperor will be pleased. We could have caught them ourselves you know, but I guess you beat us to the punch," said Vegiemon guard number 3.

"Speaking of punch," said Gatomon as she and the others pulled of their 'Dark Rings', "Lightning Paw!"

Her fist crackled with electricity as it impacted Vegiemon guard number 3, who slammed into the cell bars.

Vegiemon guard number 4 was dispatched by Veemon, who pummeled it into unconsciousness. Vegiemon guards 5 and 6 had the unfortunate fate of being sat on by Armadillomon.

With all the guards in la la land, the Digidestined broke down the bars once again.

As they stepped out of the cell, a severely scarred Gazimon stepped forward.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he warned, "we tried, and look what happened to us."

The Gazimon indicated his dozen of so brethren that lay beaten and bruised across the cell.

"There used to be about a hundred or so of us, but after our attempted escape, we few are the only survivors, and we were beaten within an inch of our lives," continued the Gazimon.

"Don't worry," said Davis, "we're the Digidestined; we can handle anything the Emperor dishes out."

"The Digidestined?" asked the Gazimon skeptically.

"Yes," replied Kari, "we're here to protect you, so you can come with us."

"How do we know you're really the Digidestined?" asked another Gazimon.

Davis opened his mouth to reply, but Matt beat him to the punch.

"I'm Matt Ishida. My partner is Gabumon, the same Gabumon that the Emperor has enslaved. If I was working for the Emperor, he wouldn't have had to enslave Gabumon because Gabumon obeys my every command…even if that means hurting friends," replied Matt, lowering his voice sadly at the end as he recalled Cherrymon's deception and his subsequent actions.

The Gazimon mayor nodded.

"I believe him. He looks slightly different than how Gabumon described him, but that's to be expected. After all, Gabumon hadn't seen him for a while," said the mayor.

With that, the Digidestined and the Gazimon ran out of the cell and into the town.

* * *

Tai nervously rang the doorbell to the Takenouchi apartment; Sora had left by the time he made it to the soccer field.

Toshiko Takenouchi was slightly shocked when she answered the door.

"Tai!" she exclaimed, "I thought you were in the hospital."

"I got better Mrs. Takenouchi," said Tai hurriedly, "is Sora home?"

"Yes," replied Toshiko, "come in."

As soon as Tai stepped in, Mrs. Takenouchi yelled, "Sora!"

The redhead peeked out from her room, "what is it mother?" she asked.

"Someone's here to see you," replied Toshiko.

Sora stepped into the entryway wondering who could be visiting her; she was pleasantly surprised.

"Tai!" she exclaimed happily jumping into her boyfriend's arms and giving him a peck on the cheek, "when did you get out?"

"This morning," replied Tai, "but I'm still under observation, so I wasn't allowed to go to school or soccer practice today, even though there's nothing wrong with me…"

"Awwww poor Taichi," said Sora, "I'll get my jacket and we can go for a walk. How does that sound?"

"Like music to my ears," replied Tai, his goofy grin plastered across his face.

A few moments later, Sora returned wearing a light jacket and the two teens stepped out for their walk.

* * *

As the Digidestined continued navigating towards the town square, Patamon and Tentomon flew ahead to look out for enemies.

As Patamon rounded the next corner, he quickly ducked back; a group of Vegiemon guards were chatting below.

"Now what?" asked Veemon.

"I'm tired of hiding," said Davis, "let's fight!"

"Hold on a second junior," said Matt coldly, "we're still too deep in enemy territory to provoke an incident."

"What the hell does that mean?" demanded Davis, annoyed with the elder blond's interference.

"It means that if we were to armor digivolve here, we'd attract too much attention and get attacked from all directions," translated Cody.

"Why can't anyone here just speak in English (A/N: Japanese?)" thought Davis.

"Granted, fighting is out," said TK, "so what do we do now?"

"Quick this way!" exclaimed the Gazimon mayor, leading the Digidestined down another winding street.

"Why won't anyone listen to me?" asked Davis grumpily.

Nobody answered.

The gogglehead trailed behind the others as they walked down the surprisingly deserted streets.

"Hey Davis," said TK suddenly, "I almost forgot. I saw your sister today."

"Yeah," said Davis angrily, "so what?"

"So nothing," replied TK casually.

"She probably had a lot of bad things to say about me didn't she?" demanded Davis as he gave a detailed list (including such things as biting nails, bed wetting, and thumb sucking).

"Well she talks too much," exclaimed Davis, "and when I see her I'll teach her a lesson!"

"Thanks for sharing," said Matt icily, "but she didn't mention any of that!"

"Huh?" said Davis stupidly.

"Your sister didn't say anything bad about you, in fact she didn't even mention you" said Matt, "you're the one with the big mouth!"

"If you've got a problem with me Mr. Rockstar, why don't we settle it right now?" taunted Davis as he spat at Matt's feet.

Matt glared at the gogglehead as he put up his dukes. He was going to knock this idiot down a peg or two.

Davis meanwhile got into a fighting stance and prepared to exhibit his authority by taking out the competition.

"Hold it Matt," said TK holding Matt back, "don't fight! He's younger than you are!"

"I don't care how young he is," said Matt through clenched teeth, "I'll teach him to respect his elders!"

"Respect this asshole!" said Davis as he punched the restrained Matt in the face.

Shocked silence followed as Matt spat out blood. TK quickly let go of his brother and stepped away.

"That," said Matt in a tone as chilling as ice, "was the last mistake you will ever make!"

The Elder Digidestined charged.

* * *

"Five minutes ha!" scoffed Yolei, it had been a half hour and George still hadn't managed to put the digivice back together yet.

"It's not my fault a piece is missing!" exclaimed George as he and Izzy frantically turned the room upside down looking for the missing wire.

* * *

Matt's charge was cut short as Cody swung his shinai in between the two combatants.

"As justified as your retaliation would be," he said looking at Matt.

"and as cowardly as your assault was," he said looking at Davis, "need I remind you two that we are in the middle of hostile territory attempting to escort hostages to safety?"

Matt folded his arms.

"At least one of you is sensible," he said, "but as soon as we get back to the real world, I'm going to trash you Davis!"

"Bring it Blondie!" taunted Davis.

Unfortunately, the sounds of the scuffle had carried far enough to alert the Vegiemon of their presence. Within moments, the Digidestined and the Gazimon were surrounded.

* * *

"Found it!" exclaimed George, as he triumphantly pulled the missing wire out from under the bed, "…now where does this go again?"

Yolei and Izzy sweatdropped, for a genius, George could be a total moron at times…

* * *

Tai and Sora had sat down on a park bench across the street from Izzy's house. They heard George's exclamation and decided to pay the resident genius a visit to see how their research was going.

* * *

As Davis attempted to pull out his digivice, his arms were ensnared by a pair of Vegiemon. The others were similarly restrained, and they were led into the town square.

"Well, well, well," said RedVegiemon, "what do we have here? More escaped prisoners?"

The Vegiemon soldiers nodded.

"Tsk Tsk," said RedVegiemon, "we'll have to punish you. A few thousand lashes should do the trick!"

The Gazimon cringed in terror as the thoughts of their previous punishment overwhelmed them.

"Now then," said RedVegiemon, "who's first?"

Veemon broke out of his restraining Vegiemon and charged at the red vegetable.

"Vee Headbutt!"

Before he could finish his attack, a lupine digimon jumped out of a nearby street and knocked the blue reptilian digimon backwards.

"…Garurumon," said Matt sadly.

"It looks like we have our first victim…I mean volunteer," sneered RedVegiemon, as he lashed out with his tentacles and punched Veemon.

As Veemon clumsily stood up, Garurumon obediently moved to stand to the red vegetable's right. His purpose was to prevent escape.

"And now for a side dish," said RedVegiemon, "Chili Pepper Pummel!"

Dozens of jalapeno peppers flew out of his mouth and hit Veemon, each leaving a small burn on impact, but still Veemon would not back down.

"The key to good cooking is to always tenderize thoroughly, like so," said RedVegiemon as he whacked Veemon again and again.

"Is that your best shot?" demanded Veemon.

"Are you kidding? I'm just getting warmed up," said RedVegiemon as he began reciting a recipe while whaling on Veemon.

"Combine all your ingredients into a bowl. Next, stir, blend, mix, frappe, and voilá the first course!" he said.

"I can't watch this!" exclaimed Tentomon.

"Veemon doesn't stand a chance him," said Matt.

"VEEMON!" exclaimed Davis, helpless to help as his partner got beaten to a pulp.

* * *

Davis's cry echoed and was heard a few miles away by a group of humans and digimon who were hiking towards the town.

"Yep," said George casually, "it sounds to me like we're in the right place."

"That sure didn't sound good to me," said Sora, "we should hurry."

Yolei nodded and pulled out her reconstructed digivice.

"This had better work George!" she exclaimed.

"It will don't worry," said George confidently.

"DigiArmor Energize!"

"Hawkmon Armor Digivolve to—Halsemon, the Wings of Love!"

"Climb on!" shouted Yolei as she, Tai, Sora, and Izzy scrambled onto the gryphon.

They glanced at George, who was standing there.

"Go on without me, I'll catch up," said the Warrior of Power smirking.

After Halsemon took off, George pulled out his own digivice.

"DigiArmor Energize!"

"Crocmon Armor Digivolve to—Sobekmon, the Steel Soldier of Power!"

Tai thought he heard a whooshing noise and looked behind him to see the mechanical soldier advancing with George flying next to it.

Within seconds they were level with Halsemon.

"See you slowpokes later," said George flashing the 'V' sign as they passed the gryphon.

"What was that?" asked Tai.

"…I'm not sure," said Izzy not daring to believe his theory.

* * *

"Now for the entrée!" said RedVegiemon raising his spiked clubs.

"No matter what you do I'll never give up," said Veemon defiantly standing up once again despite his numerous bruises. RedVegiemon thrashed him again.

"Leave him alone now," exclaimed Davis, "he's had enough!"

"I don't doubt he's feeling a little full," said RedVegiemon, "but he must have saved room for dessert, and I have a sweet surprise…a double helping of Spiked Punch!"

"VEEMON!" exclaimed Davis as RedVegiemon's clubbed tentacled flew towards the battered digimon.

A shot rang out across the courtyard halting RedVegiemon in his tracks. All eyes turned towards the source, Sobekmon's smoking pistol.

"That was just to get your attention," said the crocodilian warrior.

"Who's that?" asked TK.

"That would be Sobekmon," said George descending into the fray, "don't get on his nerves or he'll rip you to pieces with his Shotgun Blaster or his Neutron Bullet attacks."

Garurumon charged at the newcomers, but Sobekmon was too fast.

"Neutron Bullet!"

With careful aim (as guided by his helmet) Sobekmon fired a single bullet that shattered the lupine digimon's Dark Ring, causing him to dedigivolve into an exhausted Gabumon.

George meanwhile, was juggling Vegiemon as he pulled them off of his companions. As RedVegiemon prepared to counterattack, George threw a Vegiemon at him causing them to tumble backwards.

"Shotgun Blaster!"

Having holstered his pistol, Sobekmon had drawn his rifle, a nice double-barreled shotgun. Reaching into one of his belt's many pockets, he pulled out a single white shell. The shell exploded from the weapon and multiplied. The projectiles hit the Control Spire with such force that they went clean through leaving several gaping holes in the structure. The Spire began to spark, but it still stood…barely.

Not going down without a fight, RedVegiemon and his soldiers launched one final assault, only to be picked off by red lasers descending from the sky.

"Hey!" shouted Yolei as Halsemon came into view, "did we miss anything?"

George glanced at his watch.

"What took you so long?" he asked grinning.

The Warrior of Power walked over to the Control Spire and poked it. The evil tower crashed to the ground, destroyed at last. The Gazimon cheered.

RedVegiemon woke up confused and took off his Dark Ring.

"Whoa!" he said, "did I get married while I was asleep?"

The other Vegiemon followed suit, each pulling off their Dark Rings and wondering how they got to Santa Geria.

"Oh, now I see how it works," said Yolei.

"May I inquire as to what you are talking about?" said Hawkmon, as he dedigivolved from Halsemon.

"The Spire," she said, "it acted like an electricity rod. The Digimon Emperor set it up to send out power to the Dark Rings making it possible for him to control all the digimon throughout the area. Isn't that right George?"

Caught off guard by Yolei's deduction, George just nodded.

"I'm impressed Yolei," said Izzy.

Yolei inwardly blushed, happy to receive praise from her mentor.

"I wonder how many spires there are," said Tai.

"No matter what the number they all must be destroyed," said Matt.

"Quite a job for the new Digidestined," said Sora.

"Hmph," said Matt, "buncha rookies!"

The rock star folded his arms and walked away aggressively.

Izzy was admiring Sobekmon.

"If my hypothesis is correct, then we may be able to help the new Digidestined," said the boy genius.

"How do you figure?" asked Tai.

Izzy walked over to George.

"Sobekmon is the armor digivolution of Crocmon, am I correct?" he asked.

George nodded calmly.

There was a sharp intake of breath.

"Something else you neglected to inform us of?" asked Cody accusingly.

"I only found out yesterday," said George, "and I had wanted to prevent the Emperor from finding out about our new secret weapon, but then I realized it's not much use having the ability to armor digivolve if you're not going to do it…"

"That's not my point," said Izzy, "my point is if Crocmon can armor digivolve and so can Patamon and Gatomon, our digimon must be able to armor digivolve as well!"

George shook his head, "I'm afraid that's not how it works," he said.

"…and how exactly does it work Mr. Killjoy?" demanded Matt.

"Logically," replied George as Sobekmon dedigivolved.

"…so we still can't help?" asked Tai.

"I didn't say that," said George, "if you'll check your digivices you'll see that your digimon are now permitted to digivolve. They can protect areas we have reclaimed in their Champion forms, and if a Control Spire is damaged enough, it will stop sending out the dampening signal. Even if it still sends power to the rings, your digimon may still be able to digivolve."

Tai smiled, it wasn't much, but it was certainly better than nothing. Agumon tugged at his pants leg.

"Someone should take the Gotsumon back to their homes now," he said.

"Oh, yeah," said Tai, "…where'd we leave 'em again?"

* * *

Principle Toyama was walking down junction HM. As he passed the computer lab on the middle school side, he noticed the door was open.

"Strange," he thought as he poked his head inside.

Several ugly rock-like figures stared back at him as he glanced around the room, each in a different pose.

"Sculptures," he thought, "really rather ugly ones at that…must be Davis's work."

The principle sighed as he continued his rounds.

* * *

Davis sneezed as he walked over to the comatose Veemon.

"Veemon…" he said softly picking up his blue friend.

George walked over to the gogglehead and put his hand on the younger boy's shoulder.

"He'll be alright," said the fallen warrior comfortingly, "he just needs rest and plenty of food."

George glanced at Matt who was complaining to Sora about her boyfriend's protégé.

"I had a little talk with Matt," he said.

"What'd that jerk tell you?" demanded the gogglehead.

"Enough," replied George in a voice of steel, "and if you EVER hit another Digidestined like that again, I will personally see to it that your life is a living hell. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal," said Davis shrinking back a little.

"Excellent," said George smiling, "now let's get Veemon cleaned up while we wait for the others to return the Gotsumon."

As they worked on makeshift bandages, George looked over to Matt, who was still complaining.

"Hey Wonderboy," shouted the fallen warrior, "instead of griping why don't you make yourself useful and see if Gabumon can digivolve."

Matt bit his tongue to prevent his scathing remarks from escaping and merely nodded as he pulled out his digivice. Sure enough, the signal wasn't jammed.

"Gabumon digivolve to—Garurumon!"

Once again, the lupine digimon stood before the Digidestined, but this time, his eyes were yellow, and he was much friendlier.

The remaining Gazimon looked on in awe.

"Garurumon should stay here," said George.

"What and be captured again?" asked Matt incredulously, "have you lost your mind?"

"Ages ago," replied George casually, "but with Garurumon around, the Emperor should think twice about trying to reclaim this territory."

The fallen warrior pulled out his mini computer and began typing.

"What're you up to?" asked Cody.

"I'm e-mailing Kari," replied George as he finished typing, "to let Tai know about the digivolutions and that he should leave Greymon with the Gotsumon."

* * *

Tai, Kari, and the Gotsumon decided to make a few pit stops on the way back to the former arena's sector. They wanted to make sure the Emperor wouldn't return, so they were destroying neighboring Control Spires. This was their last stop.

"Rock Fist!"

The Gotsumon launched a barrage of stones at the Control Spire causing severe cracking and sparking. Tai glanced at his digivice. Sure enough, the jam was no longer in effect. He nodded at Agumon.

"Agumon digivolve to—Greymon!"

Greymon growled and lashed out with his tail knocking down the tower of evil.

"They don't make Control Spires like they used to," quipped the orange dinosaur.

"Ha!" laughed Tai pulling off his goggles (which he had put on in case of flying debris) and giving a 'thumbs up', "way to go Greymon, you're a one mon wrecking crew!"

* * *

"Hmmmm," said the Emperor, as he watched the day's events for the third time on his base's monitors, "so the other fools have finally discovered my amplification devices…unfortunate, but not a big deal in the grand scheme…the bigger problem, is him."

The Emperor paused the image as Sobekmon toppled Santa Geria's spire.

"I should have figured Helltower would join the group of hackers who undermine my digivice's power. I really must find out what loophole they extorted and seal it off…" the Emperor mused.

"Master," said Wormmon crawling towards the boy, "shouldn't you be getting home? It's getting late."

The Emperor set his security systems and exited his control room, aiming a kick at the insectoid digimon as he left.

* * *

"Hey everyone, I really think you should take a look at this," said Izzy.

The Digidestined had returned to the real world and were now gathered around Izzy's old pineapple laptop, which was displaying a series of black, gray, and white grid squares.

"What is that?" asked Yolei.

"George and I found it while we were examining your digivice," replied Izzy.

"Then it must have been part of the 5% we actually managed to download," mused George.

"Do you recognize the patterns?" asked Izzy.

"The gray squares are shaped just like the Digital World's oceans and seas, and the white and gray squares form the continents," replied George yawning.

"As I thought," said Izzy nodding, "it seems to be a map of the Digital World."

"…so what do the white squares and black squares mean?" asked Tai.

"I was just getting to that," said Izzy, "do you see this white square?"

Izzy pointed at a square with a pen.

"It used to be black," he continued, "as did these."

"So?" asked Patamon, "get to the point already!"

"What he's trying to say is that the former black squares used to have Control Spires," said Matt irritably, "but now that they don't they're white."

Even Davis understood now.

"But there are so many black squares," remarked Cody, "it's going to take a lot of time to change them all to white ones…"

"and how do we know the Emperor won't build new ones?" demanded Davis.

"Oh he will," said George matter-of-factly, "you can count on it."

"Then how're we supposed to beat him?" asked Kari.

The oldest Digidestined smiled.

"We just have to knock 'em down faster than he can put 'em up," he said enthusiastically pumping his fist.

Cody shook his head; he may understand who George is better now, but he still doesn't quite grasp _what_ George is.

"Sometimes he's as strict and serious as grandpa, and at other times he's just as goofy and wacky as Tai…I really don't understand his behavior at all," thought the 4th grader solemnly.

As the Digidestined began filing out of the computer lab, George put a hand up to stop Davis.

"Just a moment there Mr. Motomiya," said George sternly.

"Uh-oh," thought Davis, "the only time people use my last name is when I'm about to get detention…"

"What have we learned today?" asked George to the stunned gogglehead.

Davis looked at the still injured DemiVeemon. Dedigivolving had helped speed up the recovery, but even so it would be a while before the tiny digimon regained his full strength. Davis sighed.

"The Digimon Emperor is not a pushover. We can't win just by straight out fighting," he said reluctantly.

George nodded.

"What else have you learned?" he asked.

"I've learned that you older Digidestined have more experience and that I should trust your decisions even if I don't agree with them," replied Davis.

"Good," said George, "in life one makes many mistakes, heck I've made too many to count. To make mistakes is to be human, but you are expected to learn from your mistakes and make new ones next time. Do you understand?"

"Yes," said Davis, as he thought, "finally someone who speaks English (A/N: Japanese?) clearly."

"Good," replied the fallen warrior, "dismissed."

Davis left the room and hurried to catch up to Kari, as George pulled out his cell phone and began dialing.

"Oh yes," he thought as he dialed, "I've made far too many mistakes in my lifetime…"

* * *

Izzy's cell phone rang. He picked it up.

"Hello?" he said.

The person on the other end said something as Izzy nodded.

"I understand," said Izzy, "I will alert the others."

With that, the boy genius hung up, and did an abrupt about face toward Tai and Kari's apartment complex.

Narrator: What is Izzy up to, and will the Emperor finally succeed in preventing Armor Digivolution? Find out next time on Digimon: Digital Monsters!

(21 and George return, each holding a massive Slurpy)

Sponsor: It's about time you idiots got back! Now get these lunatics offa me!

21: Alright guys, I think he's had enough.

(The pissed off mutants reluctantly stop attacking their prey, and begin to leave.)

George: It was nice of you guys to swing by and say 'Hi' though.

Wolverine: If this guy gives you anymore trouble (extends Adamantium claws) just leave him to me.

(Gambit flicks one last charged card at the Sponsor before the X-Men are gone.)

Sponsor: You no good, low life, idiotic-

(The card blows up leaving the Sponsor speechless as he continues to grumble.)

George: Whatever you say Mr. Sponsor.

21: We're leaving now, see you next time!

(21 and George leave. The Sponsor is stranded in the building.)

Sponsor: HEY! DON'T JUST LEAVE ME HERE! COME BACK YOU INGRATES!

PS: Bonus points to anyone who finds the reference to another anime. It's a line from one of the episodes and is disguised to look like a typo. Just reply to this chapter with the name of the anime and the quote from it, and I'll give you the bonus points.


	5. On Thin Ice

21: Greetings everyone! I have returned to update once again!

Sponsor: Oh joy...

21: Before I begin, I'd like to address the concerns of one of my readers. Yes I will be straying away from the anime very soon, but I decided that the first several episodes should be the same in order to properly introduce the characters. What this means is that next episode will be similar to the anime's 6th episode, but of course with my own spin (actually, I had originally intended to squish episode's 5 and 6 into one chapter entitled 'Beauty and the Geek', but it didn't work out (hence the Mimi references at the beginning of this chapter)). After that, I will be doing another episode that's similar to the anime, but a little out of order. Once that episode is done, I will begin to diverge from the anime a lot more, so don't worry you'll get to see a lot more of my creativity soon!

George: In the meantime, I happen to think these are coming out well.

21: You may not like me after this episode is done though...

George: Why's that?

21: You'll see...Mr. Sponsor do your thing!

Sponsor: The21stMartian doesn't own Digimon, so please do not sue!

21: and with that, let's roll!

Episode 5: On Thin Ice

"Tai here. Last time, my burns were cured by Magna Antidote procured by George, but since the doctors didn't believe I was fully recovered, I was forbidden from playing soccer. I decided to accompany the others to the Digital World instead where we freed Gotsumon from the Emperor's arena. The next day, we received word that Gabumon had been captured by the Emperor and was guarding a town called Santa Geria. Matt went with the newer Digidestined, much to Davis's consternation. The hostility between him and Matt culminated when Davis sucker punched Matt. As he was about to retaliate, they were captured by the Vegiemon. Just as Veemon was about to get finished off by RedVegiemon, George revealed his ace in the hole, Sobekmon a flying, fighting machine. Together with Halsemon, they freed the town from the Emperor's control by destroying a black obelisk known as a Control Spire. Now it's our mission to take out every last one of those cursed towers in the Digital World!"

The time was 9:30pm Thursday evening. The adventure in Santa Geria had just finished a few hours earlier, but the day wasn't over yet.

"What's going on Izzy?" demanded Matt as he entered the park, the other older Odaiba Digidestined were there (sans Mimi of course).

"I'm not sure," replied Izzy, "this meeting was George's idea."

"…so where is he?" asked Joe.

"That," said Tai sighing, "is the million dollar question."

Barely a minute later, the Warrior of Power rounded the nearest corner at a heavy sprint and jumped over some shrubbery. Despite the exercise, he was barely fazed. A red substance was smeared around his mouth and on his shirt.

"…ummm," said Kari, "dare I ask what that red stuff is?"

"Oh," said George wiping it off with his sleeve, "sorry, I was just eating."

"…" said the other Digidestined looking on in disgust. They knew his manners were horrible, but this was worse than they expected.

"Anyways," said a bewildered George as he stared at the horrified faces of his companions, "you're probably wondering why I called this meeting in the first place."

"The thought had crossed our mind," said Matt sarcastically.

"I was thinking about that map Izzy showed us earlier," he began.

"Excuse me," interjected Joe, "but to what map are you referring?"

"Show him Izzy," instructed George, as the boy genius complied.

After Joe was sufficiently filled in, George continued.

"When I first saw the map, I was not quite sure what it is I was seeing, but now I know it's a disaster," he said.

"How so?" asked TK.

"The Emperor controls a lot of vital territories," replied George, "he occupies most of Server, a good chunk of Driver, most of the Islands, with File Island and Upload Island being the two exceptions, and bits of Databank and Hard Drive."

"…so?" asked Matt.

"Where ever we go in the Digital World, the Emperor is in a prime location to ambush us," came George's solemn conclusion, "even if we go to an unoccupied territory."

"Well, we're going to have to fight him sooner or later," said Izzy, "perhaps taking the fight to him would not be such a bad thing."

"The problem is," said George, "he can afford to lose a few territories and still come out on top. He's in a prime position to fully take over the Digital World within a week unless we do something drastic."

"A week is plenty of time," said Tai, "we'll stop him."

"If this was summer and you could afford to spend all day in the Digital World, a week would be fine, but since you can only spend a couple of hours a day in the Digital World…it's insufficient time," replied George grimly.

"…what'd we do?" asked Kari.

"For one thing, I'm going back to the Digital World full time starting Sunday," said George, "for another, we'd need to target specific strategic areas within the Emperor's domain to break his position. I'll forward a list of targets to Izzy at the earliest chance I get."

"You're going back to the Digital World?" said Izzy sadly, "but we haven't finished our analysis of the new digivices yet…"

"This takes priority Izzy," said George, "however, I remember the schematics of the device I took apart. I can forward you a set of incomplete blueprints along with the list as a reference for future analyses."

"Here's a question," said Matt, "if this is so important, why are you waiting until Sunday to return?"

"A mutual friend of ours is coming to Japan for a visit. I thought I'd stick around to see her," replied George raising an eyebrow.

"and who would that be?" asked Matt.

"Mimi didn't tell you?" asked George, "I'm astounded!"

"MIMI?" said the other Digidestined incredulously.

"Yeah," said George, "I took the liberty of zipping her an email to tell her what's been going on. I'm surprised you guys were keeping her out of the loop."

"…how'd you get Mimi's email address?" asked Izzy curiously.

"Ever since she moved to the US we've been hanging out a lot," said George, "I'd come visit her in New York fairly often. It's a short flight, and it helped her to have a friend while she adjusted to our…abnormal culture."

"She never mentioned that to me," said Sora, a little taken aback.

"Perhaps so," said George, "but there was plenty of more important information that you neglected to mention to her."

"All of this is beside the point," said Izzy happily, "the point being that Mimi will be coming here this weekend."

"How long is she staying for?" asked Joe.

"A few weeks at least," said George shrugging.

"Where will she be staying?" asked Sora.

George looked confused.

"At your house," he said, "that's why I'm at a loss to find you didn't know she's coming."

"My house?" asked Sora incredulously, "does my mom know about this?"

The redhead picked up her cell phone and dialed home. A few moments later she hung up.

"…she thought Mimi would have told me directly," said Sora.

"…and this is why inter-team communication is important," remarked George flippantly.

After this, the meeting began to break up, with small groups of members discussing Mimi's return and the Digimon Emperor. Izzy cleared his throat.

"I've got one last question," he said as all heads turned to him and silenced, "your instructions explicitly were to not inform the new Digidestined of this meeting, yet they are in a better position to help you take out the Emperor. Why did you insist I didn't invite them?"

George sighed as the Odaiba Digidestined awaited his answer eagerly.

"To be bluntly honest," he began, "they're not ready for the task ahead of them."

There was much whispering after that statement. Most notable was Matt's carrying whisper of "I knew it!"

The fallen warrior raised a hand for silence, and the whispering stopped.

"Today's incident proved to me beyond a shadow of a doubt that they require careful observation…especially Davis," he continued, "he's a loose canon with a short fuse. I cannot entrust them with this task despite their advantage of armor digivolving. Thus it falls to you to keep them in line, which is why I instructed you, Izzy, to not inform them of this assembly."

With that, the former gogglehead adjourned the meeting, and the Odaiba Digidestined wandered home in twos and threes.

* * *

Davis tossed and turned. He was fast asleep and having a particularly disturbing nightmare…

He was trapped in an infinitely looping series of events where he was supposed to save the Digidestined from certain doom at the hands of the Digimon Emperor, but he kept failing…let's take a gander into Davis's dream shall we?

* * *

"_There's the Control Spire," said Davis as he and Veemon saw the black tower in the distance, "let's destroy it!"_

_The blue bipedal lizard nodded._

"_DigiArmor Energize!"_

"_Veemon Armor Digivolve to—Flamedramon, the Fires of Courage!"_

_As Flamedramon charged at the dark obelisk, several enslaved digimon appeared out of the ground. They were mostly green with a black skull and crossbones tattooed on one of their shoulder blades and red stripes. Coming out of both their shoulders were curved horns striped red and black. White spikes ran from the top of their heads midway through their tails. Their arms and legs ended in clawed appendages. On one of their horns was a Dark Ring._

"_Slamming Tusk!"_

_The horde of evil digimon attacked Flamedramon, easily defeating him; then they stampeded Davis…_

_The scene whited out as Davis was overrun by the digimon. George Helltower appeared, and he was angry. He held out Davis's mini computer._

"_Oohh look at this," he said sarcastically waving the device around, "I wonder what it does? Perhaps I should have used this thing to contact my friends before I recklessly charged in killing both myself and my digimon partner in the process!"_

_The Warrior of Power handed the computer back to Davis._

"_Try not to screw up next time," he remarked as he pushed the gogglehead backwards. The scene whited out again._

_The next thing Davis knew, he was back on the ridge overlooking the Control Spire. This time, however, he pulled out his mini computer and typed an email to his friends. He immediately got a response from George._

"_**Acknowledged. Will be there in a few minutes. Sit tight until I arrive."**_

_As Davis put the computer away, he noticed Yolei and Cody approaching. To his dismay, TO and Kari were also approaching from the same direction. There was no sign of George, even after the others arrived._

"_Well," thought Davis, "we should be able to handle this on our own. After all, George did say once that we need to operate as though he isn't going to be here forever…"_

_With that he suggested that Digmon rip up the ground exposing any hidden adversaries in the ground, giving them the element of surprise._

_After their partners all armor digivolved, Digmon discretely tunneled to the bottom of the ridge and attacked._

"_Rock Cracking!"_

_The ground was ripped up as Digmon's drills cut through the rock. To Davis's surprise, there were no adversaries hidden in the ground. Instead, the Digidestined found themselves under bombardment from the sky as a group of dragon-like digimon descended upon them. Their bodies and tails were blue with a gray scaly underbelly. Their heads were covered in a white skull-like helmet with two horns and surrounded by a feathery orange and yellow mane. Their tails ended in a feathery tip. Their wings were orange and torn in several places. They had Dark Rings encircling their bodies._

"_Spinning Needle!"_

_The surprised armor digimon had no time to react as the attacks descended upon them, instantly ripping through them._

"_Well done Davis," shouted an angry Yolei, "you had us concentrating on the ground when really we should have been focusing on the sky!"_

_The lavender haired girl grabbed the goggleheaded boy and proceeded to pummel him into the next week._

"_But, but, but," protested Davis weakly, not even trying to defend himself._

"_I hate to interrupt," said Cody, "but they're coming around for another pass, and we're out of digimon."_

"_Where the hell is George?" thought Davis as the scene whited out again, revealing an angry George once again._

"_When I say 'sit tight' I mean 'sit tight'. I certainly don't mean 'go off and attack on your own'. What kind of imbecile are you anyways?" he asked._

"_Where the hell were you anyways?" demanded Davis, in his mind George was the one whose fault this was, "you said you'd be there in a few minutes, but you never showed up!"_

"_Did it ever occur to you that I may just have encountered the enemy?" demanded George, "that I might possibly have been slightly delayed?"_

_Davis meekly shook his head, as George gave him another backwards push._

"_This time, try to get it right," he said as the scene whited out again._

_As the scene slowly faded in once more, Davis noticed he was holding his mini computer. George's message was displayed on the screen as the goggleheaded boy looked around. There was Yolei, there was Cody, and there were TY and Kari…it was as though the previous situation hadn't occurred at all._

_When the other four arrived, Yolei began to twitch impatiently. _

"_What're we going to do?" she asked, "surely we can take out this lone Spire without George's help."_

_Davis held up his computer and showed her George's message._

"_I really don't think we should do anything without him," cautioned Davis._

"_Nonsense!" exclaimed Yolei, "did he not once tell the older Digidestined that he's not always going to be there to cover their backs, and that they need to learn to act independently of him? We should do the same."_

"_I'm going to have to agree with Davis on this one," said TK, surprising everyone, "George knows what he's doing. He wouldn't tell us to wait without good reason."_

_Cody and (Davis's stomach gave a lurch) Kari also voiced opinions to agree with his own. Davis was proud of himself._

"_Where is he?" asked Yolei after another few moments, "we're wasting time!"_

"…_it is possible he encountered resistance en route to our location," suggested Cody._

"_Well, if he's fallen under attack, we can get the Spire," said Yolei, "the enemies will be swarming him."_

"_I think we should go help George," said Kari._

"_Yeah," said TG, "and even if he is under attack, that doesn't mean there aren't more enemies hiding out by the Spire."_

"_Well I think we should wait here until he arrives," said Davis, "besides, how're we going to find him?"_

_After sitting and doing nothing for a few more minutes, Yolei snapped._

"_THAT'S IT!" she yelled, "WE'RE GOING TO ATTACK THAT SPIRE!"_

_Unfortunately, her yelling attracted some unwanted attention from enslaved digimon lurking in the air and on the ground nearby. They attacked…_

"_Shit," swore Davis as the scene whited out yet again._

"_Why do I even bother?" asked George, "you appear too stupid to understand anything. As a matter of fact, you've died three times due to your stupidity, giving the phrase 'too stupid to live' a whole new meaning."_

"_It's not my fault!" shouted Davis, frustrated by this whole situation, "you told me to wait, and it was Yolei who killed us!"_

"_First of all," said George, "if I told you to jump off a bridge would you do it?"_

"_Depends on what's in it for me," said Davis._

_George smacked his head, and then regained his composure._

"_Second of all," he continued, "while it may have been Yolei who called attention to your position, your decision to do nothing contributed to that incident."_

"_How the hell can you pin her actions on me?" demanded Davis._

_George sighed._

"_In order to be a good leader, one must always think about the condition of one's team mates," replied George calmly, "it was very clear that Ms. Inoue was close to a breakdown well before she actually cracked. You just didn't read the signs very well."_

_Davis now noticed a device floating aimlessly nearby. George grabbed it._

"_Hmmm, I wondered how long it would take you to notice that," he said, "it's called a digivice, say it with me now, Di-gi-vice. I wonder what it does…"_

_Davis grunted, he didn't like being treated like a baby._

"_It helps things digivolve of course," he said smugly._

"_So perhaps we can use it to make your brain digivolve into something more useful," suggested George, "that way you would be able to perhaps comprehend that it has other uses. For example…I dunno, maybe it can help you keep track of the locations of other Digidestined. That way, if one of us falls under attack, you can…you know, go help them…instead of just sitting there like a bump on a log!"_

"_Well why didn't you tell me it could do that?" demanded Davis._

"_Earth to Davis," said George miming a telephone with his hands, "how do you suppose the other Digidestined found you after you sent them that email?"_

"_Blind luck?" asked Davis stupidly._

_George smacked his head again._

"_Perhaps you enjoy dying?" he asked, "perhaps I need to add some incentive to keep you alive."_

"_Uh-oh," thought Davis._

"_If you die," continued George, "I will have you sent to Principal Toyama's office…for the rest of eternity!"_

"_Shit," swore Davis._

"_Now then," said George pushing Davis once more, "let's try this again…"_

* * *

Davis woke up sweating. He checked the clock. It was 4:17am.

"What the hell just happened?" he thought.

* * *

The dark gray clouds covered the sky blocking out any and all sunlight that could possibly have gotten through; instead it was snowing heavily. The icy terrain was pure, uninterrupted white…well mostly uninterrupted. A dark obelisk overlooked the frozen plains as several amphibious orange creatures with black spikes across their backs hauled massive iron beams towards an incomplete building several miles away. Several abominable snowmen were hard at work freezing the beams together to form the building's skeleton…this would be the Emperor's newest prison.

The Emperor was watching over the proceedings and whipping his exhausted slaves who dared to slack off; fatigue and the blizzard were no excuse for delays!

The small green insectoid digimon known as Wormmon scuttled over to the Emperor and offered the boy a coat.

"Wear this it's cold," he said in a concerned voice.

"Leave me alone!" shouted the Emperor as he kicked the small digimon backwards. At that moment, one of the orange digimon collapsed of exhaustion.

"Get up!" shouted the Emperor, letting fly with his whip.

Before the leather weapon could connect however, a white digimon with an orange Mohawk, black claws, and purple markings appeared and grabbed it.

"Hey quit it," said the white digimon as the Emperor scowled, "they're all tired and need rest. Maybe someone should use this whip on you, you big bully!"

"Well, well," said the Emperor, "Gomamon, what a surprise. I would have expected you to remain in hiding waiting for the return of your partner…"

At this, the Emperor violently shook his whip and dislodged Gomamon.

"Forget it!" said Gomamon, "how could I hide in safety while you're bullying helpless digimon?"

"You would sacrifice yourself for other?" asked the astounded Emperor.

"Always," said Gomamon, no hesitation was detectable.

The Emperor's eyes widened for a moment until he regained his usual scowl.

"Pointless!" he scoffed, "the only one that anyone should worry about is themselves! Feelings of compassion for others are a weakness that only leads others to exploit it!"

"That may be your opinion," said Gomamon seriously (A/N: can Gomamon even BE serious? O_O), "but I've never really cared for the opinion of spoiled brats!"

The Emperor growled and issued a command.

"Whoever among you can defeat this creature will receive a special prize package," he said, "the rest will get some lovely parting gifts, so who's up for the challenge?"

The orange digimon growled as they surrounded Gomamon, who looked around worriedly.

"I know all about these Gizamon," boasted the Emperor, "they're amphibious digimon with webbed feet; their fins cut through the water like knives!"

"They won't attack me," said Gomamon, not quite believing what he was saying.

To nobody's surprise, he was wrong. The Gizamon curled themselves into spikey orange spheres and charged at Gomamon, knocking against him several times before the white digimon collapsed in the snow severely injured.

The Emperor smiled.

"That was way too easy," he scoffed.

Wormmon walked in front of him.

"Yeah they defeated him master," he said, "now tell them what they've won!"

"Right," said the Emperor, as he pushed a botton on his control panel.

Instantly, several Dark Rings appeared and swarmed the Gizamon. Some tried to hop away, but while they may have been fast in water, they were clumsy on land.

"No need to fret," said the Emperor jovially, "there enough for all of you!"

He glanced at the nearly unconscious Gomamon.

"Even you," he said as a wicked grin made its way across his features.

When the last Gizamon had been captured and enslaved, the Emperor cracked his whip again.

"Now get back to work building the prison!" he ordered as the Gizamon hastened to obey, "let's go Wormmon, Gomamon! I want you to make me a hot chocolate!"

* * *

Joe's digivice went berserk. The screen flashed red and it made angry beeping noises. The blue haired medical student looked at it in concern.

"Gomamon," he thought.

He was hanging out with two of his medical student friends just outside of their school, classes were scheduled to begin soon.

"So how 'bout it guys?" asked one of Joe's friends, "you ready for that big anatomy test today?"

"Yeah, I spent the entire night looking in the mirror," replied the other, "how 'bout you Joe?"

"Huh?" said Joe distractedly, "oh, I just remembered that I forgot to remember something. I've got to go!"

With that, he ran off leaving his confused friends wondering where he was off to and what he could possibly have forgotten that would make him ditch the anatomy test.

* * *

Another school day had ended, and Davis was heading to the computer lab, when he saw Cody leaving the building.

"Hey Cody!" shouted Davis.

"What?" asked Cody somewhat coldly.

"Where the hell are you going?" demanded Davs,

"Home," said Cody, "I've got kendo practice this afternoon, and unlike you I happen to take my appointments seriously."

"Excuse me if I happen to be a little more concerned about the Digital World than kendo," said Davis (he was a little grouchy from not sleeping well the night before, and he got busted for napping during history class).

"My grandfather is the instructor, and he would be very disappointed if I missed a lesson," replied Cody, "and your concerns are no concerns of mine…"

As Cody left, Davis was fuming, how could one of their own abandon them like this? As he stewed, Kari walked over to him.

"What's the matter Davis? You look like you didn't get much sleep last night," she said.

"Kari great!" exclaimed Davis happily (sleep deprevation apparently leads to major mood swings), "I was just heading to the computer lab. You coming?"

"Sure, let's go," said Kari.

Within the confines of Davis's mind he was happily fantasizing about him and Kari alone on an adventure in the Digital World. Together, the Emperor wouldn't stand a chance against them!

However, when they got to the computer lab, Davis noticed there were others already there. He sliently fumed as he saw TW and Yolei looking at the map from yesterday.

"I just can't win," he though sadly.

"What's going on?" asked Kari, as she walked over to TK and Yolei.

"We're trying to figure out which sector we should free next," replied TK.

"I have a suggestion," came a voice from behind Davis.

The gogglehead turned around and saw George Helltower standing in the doorway. Upon seeing the figment of his nightmares, Davis yelped and ran to the other end of the room.

"What's with him?" asked George innocently, as he raised an eyebrow.

"He didn't get much sleep last night," explained Kari as she glanced at the cowering Davis, "you wouldn't happen to know why, would you?"

"No clue," came the reply.

"You said you had a suggestion as to which sector we shoud go to next," said Yolei impatiently.

"Ah yes," said George as he enlarged a certain section to the far north of the map and pointed to a black square, "that one."

"Are you sure?" asked Kari, "that's a pretty remote sector and it's deep within the Emperor's territory."

"I'm sure," said George, "rumor has it the Emperor is building a prison facility there. It'll be a decisive strike if we can take out the sector before he can complete it…there's another reason as well."

"What's that?" asked Yolei.

"Gomamon," replied George.

* * *

The two armored figures stared at each other through the bars in their men (face protector). One was much shorter than the other and appeared to be catching his breath. As he contemplated what his next move should be, the shorter combatant suddenly imagined Upamon's reaction when the small digimon realized he wasn't coming to the computer lab. The shorter combatant faltered, and the taller combatant shouted "do!" The taller combatant struck knocking the smaller combatent's shinai aside and delivering a decisive blow to his adversary's do (chest protector). The smaller combatant faltered and nearly fell backwards, but barely managed to stay upright.

The taller combatant sighed. "Why don't we take a break?" he suggested in a somewhat gravelly tone.

The two combatants took off their protective armor and sat down on the floor of the dojo.

"What's the matter with you today Cody?" continued the man, "you just don't seem to be concentrating enough."

"I'm sorry grandfather," apologized Cody (for of course, that's who the smaller combatant was).

Cody's grandfather, Chikara Hida, stood up and faced the wall solemnly.

"You haven't lost interest in the martial arts have you?" he asked, "or hanging out with your grandfather?"

"Of course not!" said Cody.

"I can read faces," said Chikara sagely, "your expression tells me that something is troubling you deep inside. Your father acted the same way when he was a boy."

The elder Hida paused for a moment before continuing.

"In my many years of life, I have traveled far, met many people, and experienced much," he said thoughtfully, "but in my entire life I have found only one thing I can count on…"

Cody thought he knew where this was going. It was the one quirk his grandfather had. An obsession, a fascination, a fixiation with…

"Prune juice!" finished Chikara Hida, as he pulled a pouch of it from his pack.

Yep. Chikara Hida constantly praised the purple drink and claimed it helped him solve every problem he encountered. Cody was a little confused by this obsession, but, he figured, it was definitely better than George's obsession with beer…and healthier too. That said, Cody still felt that his grandfather went a little overboard when he had decided to decorate the Hida household with banners that read "Prune Juice Sets You Free!" (Coincidentally, his mother agreed and the banners were taken down within a week. They now resided in Chikara's bedroom where they took up all of his wall space.)

"Would you care for a sip Cody?" he asked as he offered his grandson the pouch.

"No thank you grandpa," answered Cody, "I'm afraid this problem is too big even for prune juice."

(A/N: Blasphamy!)

Needless to say, Chikara Hida's curiosity was piqued. Cody carefully chose his words before continuing.

"There are others who are counting on me, and I'm afraid I might let them down," he said.

"I once told your father that people will only rely on you to the extent that you rely on yourself," said the elder Hida, "if you try your hardest, you will never disappoint them."

Cody processed this piece of wisdom for a few moments and realized what he must do. He gathered his kendo equipment and ran from the dojo. As he left the room, he paused.

"Thanks for the advice grandpa," he said, and then he was gone.

Chikara sat back and sighed.

"No problem is too big for prune juice!" he exclaimed as he happily sipped his beverage of choice.

* * *

"Who's Gomamon?" asked Yolei.

"The specific Gomamon we're going after is another Odaiba Digidestined's partner," replied George, "my sources have told me he was captured by the Emperor in that sector earlier today…and my sources are usually correct."

"Does Joe know?" asked Kari.

"I believe he's on his way," replied George checking his digivice.

On cue, footsteps could be heard outside of the computer lab.

"Finally!" shouted Upamon, "Cody's here!"

"Cody's not coming," said Davis, "it must be this Joe person."

"Why not?" demanded Upamon, "what've you done with Cody!"

The little yellow blob was hopping up and down in rage.

"He's at kendo practice," said Davis.

"What's kendo?" asked Upamon.

To answer, Davis picked up a magazine, rolled it up, and began bopping the yellow blob with it.

"What'd you hit me for?" demanded the In-training digimon.

"You wanted to know what kendo was," said the gogglehead.

Out of the corner of his eye he noticed George flash him a stren expression and he flinched. This little 'exchange' was missed by the others, but Kari noticed.

"There's something going on between those two," she thought, "and I don't like it. Davis is terrified of him."

"Anyone here?" said a voice outside the door.

"Come on in Joe," said TK.

A tall, lanky, blue haired teenager stepped into the room. He was wearing a white Oxford shirt with a blue blazer and khaki pants. He was carrying his medical bag, as well as a bulging white bag. His black eyes gazed calmly around the room through his glasses as he stepped into the computer lab.

"Hey guys," he said.

"Hey Joe," said TK.

"It's nice to see you again Joe," said Kari.

"Hey Joe, it's nice to meet you. I'm Yolei," said the lavender haired girl, "you're the doctor right?"

"Well, I'm studying to be a doctor anyways," said Joe.

"Then maybe you can give me a check up sometime" said Yolei flirtatiously.

"Uhhh….." said Joe awkwardly.

Surprisingly, Davis was the one to defuse the awkward situation.

"What's up doc?" he asked, "I'm Davis."

"Yeah," said Joe, "I've heard a lot about you."

The medical student glanced at George, who was pouring over the computer.

"What's the latest news?" he asked somewhat hesitantly.

"Ikkakumon's been spotted in the sector overseeing the prison's construction," replied the Martian Digidestined, "the Emperor's got quite an impressive amount of forces in this sector. This won't be easy, but if we can pull it off we'd disrupt the Emperor's control of this region."

DemiVeemon, who had recovered with a good night's sleep, walked over to Joe. To him, a bulging white bag could mean only one thing.

"Candy," said the little blue critter, as he tried to reach into the bag.

"Whoa there," said Joe, as he lifted the bag higher, "This isn't candy. These are supplies for our trip."

"Good ol' reliable hasn't failed us yet," said George fondly slapping the med student on the back, "as usual he's thought of everything."

"Thanks, I think," said Joe trying to regain his balance.

Gatomon's ears pricked up. She heard something disturbing.

"Someone's coming," she warned.

"Cody!" exclaimed Upamon.

"Couldn't be," said Davis, "I told you he ain't coming!"

"Quick hide!" exclaimed Yolei as the younger Digidestined began to panic.

George and Joe however remained perfectly calm and glanced at their digivices. To neither of their surprise, a yellow dot was moving closer to them.

The door opened to reveal…Cody (A/N: Bet none of you saw that one coming)

"Cody!" exclaimed Upamon as he bounced up and down excitedly, "you made it! You made it! You made it! You made it! You made it! You made it! You made it!"

Cody walked over to the blue haired teenager. Although they hadn't been introduced, Cody had deduced that he was a Digidestined due to the fact that the others weren't freaking out at his presence.

"You have to forgive him," he said to Joe, "he gets a little hyperactive."

"No problem," said Joe.

"Hey everyone, the gate's open!" exclaimed Davis.

"Alright let's go!" shouted Yolei with enough enthusiasm to make even Davis look dull.

One bright flash of light later and the Digidestined were in the middle of a frozen plain. A gust of wind blew by just after they arrived that chilled their bones and rustled the needles of the nearby pine trees.

Davis shivered. "Man, I hate the cold," he exclaimed, but then he had an idea.

"Hey Kari, are you alright? If you're cold maybe we can huddle together for warmth," continued the goggleheaded boy.

Joe, who was standing next to Cody flashed an 'I see what you mean' look over to George, who was keeping himself warm by radiating energy. Cody meanwhile turned towards the medical student and extended his hand.

"We haven't been properly introduced," he began, "my name is—"

He was cut off by Davis, who barged between them to confront the 4th grader.

"I'm freezing my ass off, and here you are introducing yourself," fumed the soccer star, "let's go already!"

"Here," said Joe, handing Cody an orange packet roughly the size of a potato chip bag, "you can use one of these."

The med student handed one to each of the other Digidestined as he explained.

"They're hand warmers."

"Leave it to good ol' reliable Joe," said TK happily.

"I watch all the survivor shows," explained Joe, "and I figured it would be cold where we were going, so I packed appropriately."

"Got any binoculars?" asked George.

"Sure thing," said Joe handing them to the fallen warrior.

George promptly flew up the nearest pine tree and began looking around through the lenses. A few moments later, he nodded.

"I found the Control Spire," he called down to the others.

"Where is it?" asked Yolei as George jumped down from his perch.

"About 20 miles thataway," he said jerking his thumb in the general direction of north-northwest, "I also found the prison."

"Where's that?" asked Davis.

"It doesn't matter to you," said George.

"Why not?" demanded Davis.

"Because you're not going there," replied Geogre calmly as another gust of wind blew by causing his trench coat to flap about.

"But—" began Davis.

"None of you are," continued George, "that task lies with me, and me alone."

"Hey!" interjected Crocmon.

"Sorry buddy, me and Crocmon alone," corrected the Warrior of Power.

"Are you sure you don't need help?" asked Kari.

"We'll be fine," replied George, "the main goal is to knock down the Control Spire. If you do that, taking out the prison should be a piece of cake."

"I think someone should go with you," said Cody, "even if you think otherwise."

"I appreciate your concern Cody," said George, "but don't forget, I'm older, wiser, stronger, and more experienced than any of you. There's no need to worry."

"I still think that going in alone is not a good idea. Speaking for those of us who are mature, I'd like to—" began Cody.

At the word 'mature' George glanced at Davis and Yolei and barely concealed the snigger of laughter that forced it's way to the surface. Cody stared at him calmly.

"I believe this is a case of the pot calling the kettle black," said the 4th grader.

"That may be true," said George as he stuck his tongue out, "but I never did say I was more mature than you."

With that, he picked up Crocmon, and flew off in a zig-zag pattern to avoid being followed.

The younger Digidestined stared after him in a shocked silence.

"He means well, but he's forgotten how to interact with other humans," explained Joe, "that was an unfortunate side effect of being in the Digital World too long."

After another few seconds, the younger Digidestined recovered enough to begin thinking about the task at hand.

"How're we going to cross all of this ice?" asked Kari.

"Did you bring any skates?" asked Yolei, "we need six pair."

"Sorry I'm all out," said Joe nervously, unconsciously backing away from the lavender haired girl.

Perhaps it was last night's dreams, but Davis was actually thinking about the bigger picture. He glanced at their surroundings.

"Okay," he thought, "what can we use to our advantage here?"

As his eyes fell on the pine trees, an idea formed in his head.

"Hey Joe!" he exclaimed, "did you bring any rope?"

"Yeah," replied the medical student.

"What've you got in mind?" asked Kari.

* * *

"Are you sure it was necessary to leave them all behind?" asked Crocmon from his position in George's arms.

"…the Emperor will probably be guarding that prison," replied George, "and you know what that means."

Crocmon nodded, he understood now.

"I'm not ready for them to know the truth just yet," continued George he he flew onwards towards the prison.

* * *

"Claw Chopping!"

"Feather Strike!"

"Vee Headbutt!"

"Timber!" yelled Davis as yet another pine tree was felled by the trio of Rookies.

"I think that's enough Davis," said Cody, as he and the others lashed the logs into a decent sized sled.

A few moments later, the sled was complete and the digimon were tied to it.

"What a great sled!" exclaimed Yolei, "I can't believe I'm saying this, but good idea Davis!"

Davis beamed, "now all we have to do is go for a ride," he said.

"Easy for you ta say," drawled Armadillomon, "we're pulling."

"I'm no dog!" said Hawkmon indignantly.

"Come on guys," said Cody, "we're counting on you."

"Okay," said Patamon enthusiastically.

"Now mush!" yelled Davis.

Gatomon, Veemon, and Armadillomon began running on all fours while Hawkmon and Patamon flew overhead, and the Digidestined's sled was on the move…

* * *

The Emperor was personally overseeing the construction of his latest prison. He had been so busy, in fact, that he hadn't noticed the intruders…yet. The Gizamon had long since finished hauling the iron support beams, and had begun building the concrete walls.

Wormmon walked over the the tyrant he called 'master' and reported what he'd been told.

"The Digidestined are here master," he said, "they're on their way towards the Control Spire now."

"…so they're here?" said the Emperor angrily, "how could they have known about the prison so soon?"

The tyrant glanced around. The Gizamon were more than capable of building his prison without supervision, but he would leave some stronger guards…just in case.

"Ikkakumon! Frigimon! Shellmon! Let's go!" ordered the Emperor.

A large white furry quadruped with tusks and a single black horn, several white snowmen with bear-like heads, and a pink creature with a large spiraling spiky conic shell and green tube-like hair lurched after the Emperor as he marched towards the Control Spire with Wormmon tagging along.

* * *

Davis whooped as the sled sped over the frozen plains. Despite the Spire being so far away, they were making good time, and not a single adversary had yet tried to stop them.

"Would you mind keeping your voice down Davis?" said Cody irritably, "we'd like to not attract too much attention."

Remembering his nightmare and the subsequent results for the Digidestined, Davis promptly shut up and began thinking.

"It's a good bet the Emperor already knows we're here," he reasoned, "and even if he doesn't know it still won't be easy to take out the Spire."

TK must have been thinking along the same lines because he looked at Joe.

"How much farther to the Spire Joe?" asked the hatted boy.

Joe was sitting at the front of the sled with the binoculars.

"Not far now," replied the blue haired teen.

The sled quickly closed the gap between itself and the Spire as the evil tower loomed up in front of them.

Suddenly, ten snowmen burst out from the snowbanks and blocked their access to the obelisk. They each had a Dark Ring attached to their right legs. Furthermore a shaggy white monster with tusks and a single black horn crashed through the ice in front of the snowmen; a Dark Ring was clasped around its front right leg as well.

"…Ikkakumon," said Joe sadly.

"Who?" asked Davis.

"Joe's partner," replied Kari.

"Alright you guys fire!" exclaimed Ikkakumon.

Simultaneously, the ten snowmen raised their right hands.

"Who're those?" asked Yolei.

"Frigimon," replied Kari, "watch out for their Subzero Ice Punch!"

"Subzero Ice Punch!" exclaimed the ten snowmen.

A wave of glacial energy burst out from each of their fists and flew towards the Digidestined and their sled. The Digimon faithfully dodged each blast as they zigged and zagged towards the dark tower.

"Harpoon Torpedo!"

Ikkakumon's horn was blasted off his head. The outer shell broke off to reveal a green missile with a red tip, which headed straight for the sled, but once again, the digimon managed to evade the attack.

"What'd we do?" asked Davis.

* * *

The Warriors of Power landed behind a glacier. A few feet away, the Gizamon were working tirelessly to complete the Emperor's new penitentiary. Nearby a river flowed.

"There's the prison," said George, "you know what to do."

"Just head in and trash it," replied Crocmon, "the same ol' plan."

"DigiArmor Energize!"

"Crocmon Armor Digivolve to—Sobekmon, the Steel Soldier of Power!"

As the duo blasted through the mound of ice, the Gizamon were caught off guard.

"Neutron Bullet!"

Carefully aiming with his visor, Sobekmon launched a barrage of bullets at the Gizamon. Six connected with their desired targets and shattered the Dark Rings, the rest missed as the Gizamon regained their senses and hopped out of the way.

As the amphibious beasts curled up and prepared to attack, several creatures burst out from the ice. The average person might mistake these pale blue creatures to be off color Gotsumon, but George and Sobekmon knew better.

"Icemon," thought George, "things just got a lot more complicated…"

"We're Icemon," said the lead creature, "we may look like Gotsumon, but we're Champion level digimon. Don't mess with us or we'll obliterate you with our Iceball Bomb and Ice Strike attacks!"

The Gizamon charged, blitzing George and Sobekmon with their spin dash assaults, but Sobekmon's armor was barely scratched since it was made of ChromeDigizoid. George, on the other hand, retreated into his trench coat. When he emerged, he seemed perfectly unharmed by the assault.

"Iceball Bomb!"

Several frozen spheres were thrown at the Warriors of Power who proceded to blast them with either a spray of bullets (Sobekmon) or a volley of energy blasts (George) causing several explosions midair. A stray ball rolled across the ground and hit George's foot.

The ball exploded at point blank range.

* * *

Joe, who knew a thing or two about Frigimon, came up with a plan of action.

"Try to get us between the Frigimon," he said, "they're slow and probably can't turn fast enough to attack us."

The digimon obeyed, aiming at one of the gaps between the looming Frigimon. Sure enough, they managed to get to the other side without being smoked.

Ikkakumon would not let them get away so easily however.

"Harpoon Torpedo!"

This time, a whole volley of torpedos was heading towards the Digidestined, but they flew overhead and missed. Instead, the missiles impacted on a nearby snowbank.

"Ha!" yelled Yolei, sticking her tongue out at the shaggy digimon, "missed us!"

Davis tapped her on the shoulder and she turned around. Instantly, her features paled. A massive avalanche was heading straight for them!

The digimon instantly doubled back and ran away from the massive surge of snow as fast as they could. They veered to the left and bolted, skirting the edge of the avalanche.

Suddenly, a river stretched before them blocking their path. The digimon swung the makeshift tobagan around as they once again executed a highspeed U-turn, but the forces of physics would not be denied…as the sled was turning, Cody's inertia kept him moving in the direction the craft had been moving a few seconds beforehand, ergo he fell into the ice cold waters. (A/N: and that, ladies and gentlemen, is why they invented the seat belt.)

"Shit!" swore Davis (again), as he and Joe hauled the sopping 4th grader out of the river's clutches.

* * *

When the smoke cleared, George was frozen in a massive block of ice and incapable of moving.

Sobekmon growled as he pulled a red shell out of his belt.

"Shotgun Blaster!"

A massive fireball erupted from the business end of the mechanical reptile's weapon. Not only did this incapacitate the Icemon, it also thawed out George.

The Warrior of Power spluttered and coughed. Although his hair smoked a little and he had soot on his face, it appeared as though he hadn't been hurt. (It should also be noted that his trench coat was also perfectly fine.)

After a few seconds of shock, George snapped back to reality. Together, he and Sobekmon picked off the last few Gizamon, breaking off all the Dark Rings.

"Whew," said George, who was sweating profusely, "now all we have to do is blow up the building and we're clear. I'm surprised Ken wasn't here…"

As the duo advanced into the skeleton of the incomplete prison, a gigantic lobster-like digimon emerged from the frozen depths of the river and grabbed them.

The Warriors of Power were hauled under water before they even knew what was happening.

* * *

The Digimon Emperor was surveying the battlefield in front of his Control Spire through the lenses of his modified sunglasses. As he stood atop his perch on a nearby cliff, he watched the digimon attempt to outrun the avalanche, but in the chaos, he lost sight of his targets.

"Blast!" he exclaimed, "where are they?"

* * *

Cody shivered as he sat by the fire kindled by Joe. After he had been rescued from the river, the Digidestined had retreated into a nearby ice cave. The walls provided some protection from the winds, but it was still cold.

Over the fire, a pot of water was beginning to steam.

"Achoo!" sneezed the half frozen Cody as Joe draped a blanket around him.

"Cody'll be fine," said Joe, as he turned to face the others.

"Good," said Yolei, "then let's go kick some butt!"

"Hold on a second," said Davis, "the Emperor's not fooling around with his security. We need a plan of action before we move in."

Everyone stared at Davis, completely dumbfounded. Finally, Yolei regained her senses enough to speak.

"Wow Davis," she said, "first the sled and now another good idea. Are you on smart pills today or something?"

"Something like that," replied Davis, inwardly shuddering as he recalled his nightmares, something which Kari noticed.

"What did George do to him?" she thought angrily.

As the four sat down near the cave's entrance to come up with a plan, Cody tried to stand up and join them. As soon as he stood up, his knees buckled and he began to collapse. Joe caught him and sat him back down.

"Easy there Cody," said the med student, "you shouldn't be exerting yourself so much."

"But I have to help my friends!" exclaimed the 4th grader.

"You're in no condition to fight. As your medical consultant, it would be irresponsible of me to let you go," replied Joe.

"But how can I be counted on if I can't even help my friends?" asked Cody.

"Is that what this is about?" asked Joe.

Cody nodded.

"Let me tell you something about reliability," began Joe, "back during my original adventure in the Digital World, I was clumsy, awkward, and terrified of everything that moved, but I tried my hardest to help my friends. It wasn't easy, but in the end, they knew I could always be counted on, and I had my place on the team."

"But didn't they make fun of you for being clumsy?" asked Cody, who was listening attentively. He had been taught to always listen to his elders.

"Sure I got my share of flak, but when all was said and done, I was still a Digidestined. To be totally honest everybody was criticized at some point on our adventure, especially Tai. We just kept working together as a team; everybody pitched in with their particular strengths and we covered each other's backs. My particular strength was that I could always be counted on. The others knew I'd try my hardest and would always come through for them…come to think of it, that's why I was given the Crest of Reliability," said Joe.

"…so what you're saying is that if I try my hardest, I can be reliable too?" asked Cody. That's what his grandfather had said, but to hear it from someone who had actually been in the Digital World before began to put his mind at ease.

"Exactly," said Joe nodding.

At the other end of the cave, Davis and the others broke their huddle.

"All right!" said the gogglehead enthusiastically, "let's go knock down that Spire!"

Cody watched sadly as they left on the sled, but he knew he'd only be a liability if he went along with them, so he remained quiet.

* * *

The Emperor saw the sled emerge from behind a cliff.

"There they are!" he thought, but something wasn't right.

He looked again…hadn't there been more of them before they disappeared?

This warranted investigation.

The Emperor punched a few buttons on his control panel and linked himself into the Dark Rings on his nearby slaves.

"Ikkakumon, Shellmon, we've got work to do," said the Emperor as he watched the sled coming nearer, "they're up to something."

* * *

George and Sobekmon tried to escape the iron grip of the Ebidramon, but his claws just wouldn't budge. As the gigantic crustacean continued to pull them deeper under water, several pairs of glowing eyers appeared as several more Ebidramon converged on the area brandishing their claws.

"This could get messy," thought George desperately.

"Twin Scissors!" shouted the Ebidramon horde.

* * *

"I wonder how the others are doing," remarked Cody.

"Are you still worried about letting them down?" asked Joe.

Cody nodded.

"Whenever I felt that way I began to think about the big picture," remarked Joe.

"What do you mean?" asked the 4th grader.

"We're all here for a reason," began the blue haired teen, "there's a big picture going on that none of us can see, so us staying behind is for a reason."

"…but what could that reason be?" asked Cody.

As Joe began to reply, he was cut off by a rumbling that shook the cave.

"Let's get out of here!" said Joe, as he and the others ran towards the exit.

The sight that greeted them was not a pleasant one. The Digimon Emperor himself was standing there next to Ikkakumon with the diminuative Wormmon next to him. The Emperor wore a confident smirk.

"I thought so," said the tyrant, "you thought you could destroy my Spire while I was busy keeping your friends at bay…well you thought wrong! Get them Ikkakumon!"

"Harpoon Torpedo!"

Joe, Cody, and Armadillomon scattered as the missile impacted the top of the cave causing the entrance to collapse.

Joe glanced towards the nearby Spire; it still stood.

"Now I know the reason we needed to stay behind," he said, "so the others can have time to destroy the Spire."

"We need to keep the Emperor busy then," remarked Cody, "and I know just how to t-t-to…Achoo!"

"Aw it appears as though the little one has caught a cold," mocked the Emperor, "Ikkakumon, eliminate them!"

The wooly walrus advanced upon the trio.

"The weak shall perish," he said ominously.

* * *

Deep underwater, George and Sobekmon were being slashed and hacked by the claws of the Ebidramon squad. Fortunately for Sobekmon, his armor prevented most of the damage, but he knew that they were running out of time. Even if their assault wasn't hurting him, both he and George would suffocate within minutes if they didn't make it back to the surface, and George didn't have armor covering his entire body like he did.

As the Ebidramon continued to slash at his partner, Sobekmon carefully began aiming in pin laser in his helmet.

"I've only got one shot at this," he thought as he gritted his metallic teeth.

He modified his aim, calculated last minute factors, and fired.

* * *

As the sled began approaching the Control Spire, it became clear something was amiss. Ikkakumon was nowhere to be seen.

"Alright," said Davis, "we've gotta assume he's hiding or something. Even if he actually isn't being a little overcautious isn't going to hurt."

"Wow," thought Kari, "he's actually coming up with some good ideas today. What in the world did George do to him?"

As they began phase one of the plan, Veemon was cut loose from the sled and armor digivolved. As a fire digimon, Flamedramon stood to do the most damage to the Frigimon.

"Fire Rocket!"

Several elongated fireballs were conjured in the armor digimon's hands, which he promptly threw at the Frigimon. The slow moving Frigimon were unable to dodge as the flames impacted into them.

"Two down," thought Davis, as the sled kept on charging forward towards the looming Spire.

* * *

"Harpoon Torpedo!"

Joe grabbed Cody and hit the deck, as the missile sailed overhead. It grazed the hilltop that the cave had been a part of and caused a miniature avalanche.

When Cody emerged from the snow bank, he was completely focused.

"No more fooling around," he said, as he pulled out his digivice, "DigiArmor Energize!"

"Armadillomon Armor Digivolve to—Digmon, the Drill of Knowledge!"

"Even though I heard about it, seeing armor digivolution is still fascinating," said Joe as he admired Digmon.

The Emperor growled.

"Ikkakumon, destroy them!" he shouted.

"Harpoon Torpedo!"

Digmon's eyes widened as he saw that the target of the assault was not him, but rather Cody.

The missile was bearing down on his partner at an alarming speed.

* * *

Sobekmon's laser cut through the Dark Ring that encircled the claw of the Ebidramon that held him captive. Instantly, he was let go as the crustacean began to regain his senses. However, the newly freed digimon barely had time to realize his existence before the other Ebidramon tore him to pieces.

Sobekmon, meanwhile charged towards George, who was beginning to lose consciousness. As the mechanical warrior raised his left arm, compartments in his gauntlet opened to reveal a machine gun nozzle hidden in his wrist. Unfortunately, before he could get off a shot, he was grabbed from behind and his arms were pinned down by another Ebidramon.

"Shit!" he thought, "I've gotta free George or he'll die!"

* * *

Cody paled as the missile approached him. There was no time to escape! He'd be blown to pieces! Suddenly, Digmon jumped between him and the rocket, which instead exploded on the insectoid.

"Don't worry Cody," he said calmly, "I'll always protect you."

"Thanks Digmon," said the 4th grader gratefully.

Ikkakumon wasn't happy that his attack had been foiled. He roared and charged at the duo.

"Hang on lil buddy!" said the living drill, as his inner arms grabbed onto his partner.

Digmon flipped over and aimed his drills at the oncoming walrus.

"Gold Rush!"

Unable to react in time, Ikkakumon stood dumbfounded as the drills slammed into his arm and broke the Dark Ring. Ikkakumon dissolved in a beam of white light. When the light dimmed, a smaller seal-like digimon remained.

"Gomamon!" exclaimed Joe, who ran up and grabbed his partner as Cody and Digmon stood up and confronted the Emperor.

"Joe!" exclaimed the mohawked seal, "it's really you!"

"What day of the week is it?" asked Joe.

"Saturday?" asked Gomamon.

"Actually it's Friday, but you never could get your days straight," sighed Joe.

"Surrender," said Cody, "you are out matched."

The Emperor smirked.

"Am I now?" he asked, as he snapped his fingers.

Instantly, a pink digimon with a spiky shell burst out of the river and grabbed onto Digmon with his green hair.

"You should know by now that I always have a contingency plan. I'm never out of ideas or slaves," boasted the Emperor.

"That's Shellmon!" exclaimed Joe, "watch out for his Aqua Blaster attack. It can corrode solid rock."

"Aqua Blaster!"

Digmon, who had been holding his own in the struggle, was overwhelmed by the jet of water which crashed into him. He lost his footing, and was dragged into the river.

"How long can you pet hold his breath?" said the Emperor.

* * *

Sobekmon noticed that, this time, the Ebidramon had been careless in restraining him. True his arms and legs were incapacitated, but his tail hadn't been restrained. He lashed out with it and slammed the Ebidramon holding his partner. Instantly, the crustacean let go, and George began a mad swim to the surface. He broke the surface in record time, and took in a few deep gulps of air before diving back into the depths. This time though, he pulled out a white sword from inside his trench coat. As the Ebidramon came at him, he hacked at their Dark Rings with the sword freeing several of them. As he approached the bottom, he slashed at the Ebidramon holding Sobekmon, and instantly, the duo began swimming back to the surface, blasting anything that got in their way. When they reached the surface, they swam towards the shore, where the battle would be in their favor.

As they climbed onto the icy shore, George blinked blood out of his eyes. His face and hands were severely scratched up and his hair was matted with blood, but otherwise he looked just fine (once again, his trench coat was still in pristine condition).

"You alright?" asked Sobekmon, as the two began to hack at the emerging Ebidramon.

"I'll be fine," replied George, "this trench coat saved my life…"

"Fujinmon gave that coat to you right?" asked Sobekmon.

"Yeah, he said it's actually made out of a revolutionary armor that's made flexible, but also extremely durable, by microweaving the material."

The two continued to converse casually as the battle continued. At this point, it was all downhill for the duo.

* * *

"Fire Rocket!"

Two more Frigimon were felled as the sled continued to advance. The makeshift toboggan once again slid behind the enslaved snowmen, and Patamon, Gatomon, and Hawkmon Armor digivolved.

"Star Shower!"

"Cat's Eye Beam!"

"Eagle Eye

A barrage of white stars and four red laser beams collided with the base of the evil tower making it fall over.

"Timber!" shouted Davis.

"We don't have time to celebrate," remarked TK, "or hadn't you noticed that Ikkakumon isn't here."

"So?" asked Davis, "that only made things easier."

"What he means is that if Ikkakumon isn't here," began Kari.

"…he's attacking Cody," said Davis as the revelation dawned on him.

"Let's double time it back to the cave!" exclaimed Yolei, "Joe and Cody need us!"

* * *

Joe turned and saw the Spire fall, but Shellmon still hadn't let go of Digmon, and the digimon's eyes were still glowing red. What was going on here?

The med student turned towards the Emperor, who was furious.

"What?" he exclaimed, "they managed to knock down my Control Spire anyway?"

He sighed, took a deep breath and continued.

"Ah well," he said regally, "at least I can rid myself of one of you pests before I leave. You may have noticed Shellmon is still under my influence."

"How?" asked Joe.

"We're too close to his dark digivice," replied Cody, "it can relay its power directly to the Dark Ring from this range."

"So you see," said the Emperor, "I still have the upper hand here."

"I don't think so," said Joe, "it's two on one."

"Your math is off old man," scoffed the Emperor.

Joe shook his head.

"I'm not wrong you are," he said, "Gomamon digivolve!"

Joe's digivice glowed as the transformation took place. Almost instantly, Ikkakumon was back, but this time, his eyes were a friendly blue color.

Ikkakumon dove underwater and rammed Shellmon. This caused the digimon to let go of his captive. Once freed, Digmon climbed onto shore and launched his drills at the Shellmon breaking the Dark Ring.

* * *

George and Sobekmon sighed in relief as the Spire was felled. The Ebidramon instantly ceased attacking, and returned to the river.

George smiled at his partner.

"Time to do what we do best," he said, "blow stuff up."

An instant later, the two were flying away from the prison as an explosion rocked the tundra.

* * *

Cody turned towards the Emperor.

"Your Spire is felled, and it sounds like George and Sobekmon have destroyed your prison. I will not ask you again, surrender you vile fiend," he said.

"Never," said the Emperor as he pushed a button on his control panel.

Immediately, he and Wormmon were transported back to base.

Shortly thereafter, the others arrived from the Spire, and stories were exchanged.

"I'm sorry, but the Emperor got away again," concluded Cody, "I failed you."

"What're you talkin' about man?" asked Davis, "you managed to defeat the Emperor while you have a cold. That's pretty amazing dude!"

Ordinarily, Cody would berate Davis for calling him 'dude', but the gogglehead's words actually comforted him for once.

Joe put a hand on Cody's shoulder.

"You see?" asked the med student, "it's just like I said. You tried your best, and now everyone knows they can count on you."

"Thanks Joe," said Cody.

The med student nodded, and turned towards his partner.

"All right Ikkakumon, this region is yours to protect," he said.

"Great," said the shaggy digimon sarcastically, "a frozen wasteland, just what I always wanted…"

"We should probably go find George now," suggested Davis, "and then we can go home."

Using the locator apps on their digivices, the Digidestined found the Warriors of Power within moments of the suggestion. However, they were not prepared for the sight that met their eyes; George Helltower was covered in blood.

"What happened to you?" asked Davis, incredulously.

"The prison was heavily guarded," replied the hybrid simply, "things got rough."

"You'll die of blood loss if you don't get yourself tended to," said Joe, "so let me bandage those gashes up for you and clean you up a bit."

"It's nothing a recharge or two won't fix," said George shaking his head.

Tiny drops of blood flew out of his hair and landed in the snow, marring the otherwise perfectly white surface.

"Doctor's orders," said Joe firmly, as he pulled out some bandages and disinfectant.

"Joe," said George, stubborn as always, "I haven't been to a doctor's in millennia, and some how I've managed to survive."

"Sometimes even you need help," said Kari, "it's okay to admit that."

George shook his head once again, and began to take off, but, to everyone's surprise, Sobekmon grabbed him and restrained him while Joe disinfected the wounds and bandaged them.

"All right," said Joe as the last visible wound was cleaned and bandaged, "now let's see what's doing under that coat."

"I'm fine!" yelled George, "there are no more cuts and bruises."

The former gogglehead broke free of his partner's grip and flew off towards the portal home.

"What's with him?" asked Yolei.

"He developed a fear of doctors after visiting a digimon doctor several millennia ago," replied Sobekmon, "it was quite the experience."

_

* * *

Flashback to shortly after George's first adventure in the Digital World_

"_A-a-achoo!" sneezed George._

"_That's some cold you got there," remarked Crocmon._

"_Perhaps you should go see a doctor," said Andromon._

"_I think you're a-a-a-ACHOO! Right," said George as he shivered uncontrollably, "but where am I going to find a doctor out here?"_

"_There's one nearby," replied Andromon, "I will take you there."_

_A few moments later, George was sitting in the waiting room reading a magazine._

"_Mr. Helltowermon, the doctor will see you now," said the receptionist._

_George walked into the designated room, and a few moments later, a digimon walked in. He appeared to be a very old man with a funny looking staff._

"_Whatever is wrong with you, Dr. Jijimon will cure it in no time!" explained the digimon happily._

_As he looked at his patient, he was overcome by curiousity._

"_Oooh, a human," he said, "I've never treated one before."_

_With that, the demented doctor began thoroughly investigating this strange creature that had dropped by for a check up._

"_Hmmm, yes very interesting," said Jijimon as he investigated._

"_Hey," shouted George, "what're you, a-a-a-ACHOO, doing?"_

"_Ah," said the doctor, "it sounds to me like you have a cold. I know just what to do! A lobotomy should do the trick!"_

"_Lobotomy?" said George incredulously as the doctor pulled out a saw._

"_Yep," replied Jijimon smiling, "when all else fails, lobotomy always succeeds!"_

"_But you haven't tried anything else!" protested George as the manic doctor approached with the saw._

_At the last moment, George ran out of the way._

"_Hey!" shouted the doctor, "sit still or else!"_

_George continued to dodge the saw as the doctor swung it around._

"_That does it!" shouted Jijimon picking up his staff, "Cat Cane!"_

_The claw at the top of his staff reached out and tried to grab George, but the Warrior of Power was too fast._

_From within the waiting room, Crocmon heard several loud noises, explosions, and yelling occurring within the doctor's office._

"_Is this a normal occurrence?" he asked the receptionist._

"_Oh yes," she replied casually, "Dr. Jijimon often gets carried away with his work."_

_A few moments later, George ran out of the office. His hair was slightly burned, and his face was smudged with soot._

"_I like my brain just the way it is!" he shouted._

"_I take it you're appointment went well?" asked Crocmon sarcastically._

* * *

"Ironically, George's cold was cured after that," remarked Sobekmon.

The Digidestined stood dumbfounded for a few moments by the revelation.

As usual, Davis was the first to recover.

"We should probably be heading home," he said.

"Right," said Cody, "but first, there's something I need to finish."

"What's that?" asked TK.

The 4th grader turned towards Joe and bowed.

"Hello, my name is Cody," he said.

"He knows who you are!" exclaimed Davis, "what was the point of that?"

"My grandfather says that next to prune juice manners are the best things a man can have," replied the 4th grader.

When the Digidestined arrived at the portal, they found that George had already returned to the real world.

The TV screen showed that he was just storming out of the computer lab when it turned on. Moments later, the Digidestined were once again in a dog pile on the other side, but DemiCrocmon had managed to avoid the mess.

"How the hell do they do that?" thought Davis as he was once again on the bottom of the pile.

* * *

The Digimon Emperor swore as a whole area of black squares turned white.

"Damn it!" he shouted, "how the hell did they know about my prison? How did they figure out exactly where to strike? Was it just a lucky guess? No, that's not possible…they must have a spy somewhere keeping an eye on me."

Wormmon watched sadly, as his master began punching his monitors in frustration. A few moments later, the Digimon Emperor was perfectly calm.

"It doesn't matter," he said, "if they've got an informant I'll just have to be twice as careful. I can still beat those kids!"

With that, he stomped out of his control room and departed the Digital World for the evening.

* * *

As the Digidestined watched, several squares surrounding the tundra they had just departed turned white.

"I guess that means the digimon in those sectors managed to knock down the Control Spires," said TK.

Crocmon nodded.

"Before we left the prison, we told the freed digimon that the Emperor's presence in the area would be weakened temporarily after today," he explained, "so they took it upon themselves to take out the remaining Spires in the region."

"Sounds like we're winning!" exclaimed Davis happily, "I'll bet the Digmon Emperor went home crying to his mommy."

"The fight's not over yet," said Kari as she exchanged glances with TK and Joe.

The more experienced Digidestined nodded as they remembered George's presentation from the night before. This battle may have been successful, but the Emperor still had the upper hand.

"Will you come back and fight with us again Joe?" asked Cody, he had appreciated the older Digidestined's presence during their fight today.

"Sure thing," said Joe, "in between exams of course."

The Digidestined laughed as they exited the computer lab.

* * *

The computer screen's glow lit up George Helltower's face as he sat on his bed in the Izumi residence. Concern was etched on his features as he silently waited.

"He's late," thought the Warrior of Power.

Narrator: What is George up to, and will the Digidestined be able to prevent the Digimon Emperor from taking over the Digital World? Find out next time on Digimon: Digital Monsters!

George: I'm afraid of doctors?

21: Yep.

George: Huh, didn't expect that one...

21: To be honest, neither did I, but then I got to thinking, what would happen if a human got sick in the Digital World, and there were no other humans around?

George: ...but I'm half digimon too

21: meh, Spock is half human, but his anatomy is that of a Vulcan.

George: I suppose...but still...

21: What about Davis's nightmare, did you like that?

George: Yeah, that was pretty funny. How'd you come up with an idea like that?

21: I was watching an interactive Star Trek game called Star Trek: Borg (I do not own Star Trek, nor anything Star Trek related).

George: I see, someone has too much free time on his hand eh?

21: Eh, not really. I just really like Star Trek...

George: Oh, there's another question from last time you didn't answer.

21: What's that?

George: What was the line, and the anime you were referring to in the previous episode?

21: I won't say yet, but I will give the hint that it involves a young monk who is not very good with slang...

Sponsor: Can we go now?

21 and George: After we eat!

Sponsor: But you just ate five minutes ago!

21: Stop living in the past...

George: You'll never get ahead that way.

(21 and George begin to devour a whole mountain of food...the Sponsor leaves)


	6. Bungle in the Jungle part 1

21: Hello, hello, I hope all y'all Americans had a happy Thanksgiving yesterday, and didn't go too crazy shopping today.

Sponsor: You haven't updated in a while, what gives?

21: School, namely midterms, essays, homework, the usual, etc.

Sponsor: That was very irresponsible of you to neglect your story.

21: I know, that's why I typed most of this episode while on the road with my family.

George: See? Isn't he a nice guy?

Sponsor: (grumbles)

21: Anyways, as a result of typing while being driven, there may be a few more grammatical mistakes than usual, but I did look this over a few times before uploading it, so hopefully it's up to usual standards.

George: Fine, fine, get to the point already so we can start eating!

21: One last thing before I hand things over to Mr. Sponsorpants over there. To the anonymous reviewer from the previous chapter, yes Crocmon and his Armor digivolved form Sobekmon are my creations. As far as I know there are no other ones out there, and certainly none that are canonical (and if there comes to be a Crocmon in canon, just remember, there wasn't when I first started these stories). One more thing, if you want to learn more about Crocmon and my other OCs, you really should read my D0 stories first. (I should be restarting the last part as soon as I complete chapter 9 of this story...)

Sponsor: Is it my turn yet?

21: Yes Mr. Crank...

Sponsor: Finally, The21stMartian does not own Digimon, nor does he own Jethro Tull's song from which the main title of this episode is taken.

21: and now, without further ado-

George: Let's eat!

21: err, yes that too, but also I hereby present the latest in my installments of Season 2 revised, namely...

Episode 6: Bungle in the Jungle part 1: A Blast from the Digital Past

Joe: Last time George had told us older Digidestined that the Emperor was in position to take over the Digital World within a week. Later I found out the Gomamon was captured, so I joined the others for the trip to the Digital World. While there, George set off to take out the Emperor's prison, while the rest of us were supposed to knock down the Spire. Unfortunately, Cody fell off our makeshift sled and caught a bad cold due to being dunked in a river. He and I stayed behind while the others attacked the Spire, but the Emperor found us and sent Ikkakumon to attack us. Fortunately Cody proved himself to be quite reliable and managed to free Gomamon, and with George's successful destruction of the prison, we've managed to destabilize the Emperor's claim in that entire region! Not bad for a Friday afternoon…

As George continued to stare at the screen, a line of text appeared

**SourceofStrength has logged on**

"Hmmm," thought the Warrior of Power, "not who I was expecting, but…"

He began typing.

**Powerhouse: **hey, long time no see…

**SourceofStrength: **…and who's fault it that?

**Powerhouse: **mine I suppose…how's everything going?

**SourceofStrength: **not too bad…the company is doing well as usual. Nobody would ever expect that for the most part you're an absentee boss…

**Powerhouse:** How're the others?

**SourceofStrength:** Same ol' same ol'. Rachel's off on her latest 'save the planet' crusade, and Dan and Jimmy are scheduled to withdraw from Iraq in a few months.

**Powerhouse:** …wait, since when have Dan and Jimmy been in Iraq?

**SourceofStrength:** Boy, you're really out of the loop aren't you?

**Powerhouse:** I've been trying to clean up a mess that I made thank you very much…

**SourceofStrength:** yeah, how's that going?

**Powerhouse:** sigh…it could be better.

**SourceofStrength:** what's wrong?

**Powerhouse:** a new batch of Digidestined has been called to help take out the Emperor…

**SourceofStrength: **well that's good then isn't it? Now you've got help.

**Powerhouse:** Yeah well, the newbies really piss me off…

**SourceofStrength:** Why's that?

**Powerhouse:** Davis and Yolei don't seem to take the responsibility seriously; they're immature and a danger to the other Digidestined they work with…Cody's not bad though…maybe a little too serious

**SourceofStrength:** Sounds to me like they could use some training…

**Powerhouse:** …we both know how the last guy I taught ended up. Already I've succeeded in freaking out Davis and getting on Cody's bad side. Let's face it, I'm a lousy mentor…

**SourceofStrength:** You may be a little harsh at times, but I highly doubt you'll repeat the mistakes you made before. You're better than that.

**Powerhouse:** …I should have listened to you in the first place. If I had, none of this would have happened

**SourceofStrength:** It's not your fault! You were just trying to do what was best for the Digital World.

**Powerhouse:** The road to Hell is paved with good intentions…

**SourceofStrength:** I'm sure Gennai has already told you this, but if you don't stop berating yourself for something that isn't even your fault, you'll never defeat the Emperor. What happened, happened, move on and deal with it!

**Powerhouse:** Easy for you to say, you didn't create the monster…

**SourceofStrength:** ENOUGH! I've seen you mope before, but this is ridiculous! Pick yourself up off the floor and get a grip already. It's either that, or allow the new Digidestined to fully takeover

**Powerhouse:** Over my dead body! I won't be replaced that easily!

**SourceofStrength:** A little extreme maybe, but I think I got my point across…so tell me, what's that latest news from the front?

George explained the situation fully, starting from Ken's assault on File Island a month ago and ending with the events in the tundra.

**SourceofStrength:** …sounds like you've been busy. What's with this 'armor digivolving?'

**Powerhouse:** (A/N: This comment has been removed for blatent spoilers).

**SourceofStrength:** …I see, so if I were to find a DigiEgg with the Crest of Strength on it…

**Powerhouse:** I'm afraid as far as Azulongmon and Gennai know, no such egg exists…

**SourceofStrength:** but what about your DigiEgg?

**Powerhouse:** according to them, the only Crests capable of producing Armor digimon are the Crests of Light and Darkness, the latter being the ultimate corrupted potential of the Crest of Power. As such, the components that make up my Crest, and that had been used to create the Odaiba Digidestined's Crests, are also capable of producing Armor digimon, which has been what's happening.

**SourceofStrength:** I see…that's unfortunate. I'd have liked to help…

**Powerhouse:** You are helping…everytime I find myself in need of advice, you're there…you always have been, and for that I thank you.

**SourceofStrength:** Just remember, we're a team. Even if you're not fond of some of the members we still have to look out for each other.

**Powerhouse:** You're right…maybe my expectations are a little too high…

**SourceofStrength:** Not everyone is capable of bearing your burden…

**Powerhouse:** Ain't that the truth…

**SourceofStrength:** Also, you underestimate yourself. You're a great mentor and someone to look up to. I'm sure the new Digidestined will figure that out soon…

**Powerhouse:** I dunno, that Davis kid is rather thickheaded…

**SourceofStrength:** Isn't that exactly what you said about Tai?

**Powerhouse:** Yeah, but at least Tai didn't swear so often…

**SourceofStrength:** Still, Tai turned out fine didn't he?

**Powerhouse:** I suppose you're right…as usual

**SourceofStrength:** and don't you forget it!

**SourceofStrength:** …so when're you coming back?

**Powerhouse**: I don't know. I'm only staying here through tomorrow because Mimi's coming and I promised her parents I'd meet her at the airport…with the whole immenant world domination of the Emperor, I'm probably going to be pulling quite a few all nighters to turn the tides in our favor…

**SourceofStrength:** I understand, but if you could make it to Dan and Jimmy's welcome home party I'm sure they'd appreciate it.

**Powerhouse:** I didn't even know they were gone remember?

**SourceofStrength:** True, but I'm sure they'd like to see you again anyways.

**Powerhouse:** I'll try my best, but no promises…

**SourceofStrength:** That's all anyone can ask of you…don't you forget that.

George smiled and began to type a reply, but was interrupted by another line of text that flashed onto the screen.

**Informant has logged on**

Instead of his initial reply he then typed this instead:

**Powerhouse:** Thanks, I really appreciate the support you've given me, but I've got to go now. It's getting late…

**SourceofStrength:** I understand. Good night George. It was good to talk to you again, even if it was over the computer.

**Powerhouse:** Good morning Hannah, and thanks again. We really should keep in touch more often…

**SourceofStrength has logged off**

With that, George turned his attention to the other screenname, and the reason he was on this chat site to begin with.

**Powerhouse:** You're late…

**Informant:** I'm sorry. Security is a little tighter than usual tonight. Ken's onto us.

**Powerhouse:** Maybe so, but I doubt he'll suspect you…

**Informant:** For my sake I hope you're right…and for Ken's sake too…

**Powerhouse:** What new news do you have for me?

**Informant:** The Emperor is planning on trying to reclaim the territory you took today…but that's not all.

**Powerhouse:** I'm all ears…

* * *

The 8:00 flight from New York touched down in Tokyo a few minutes ahead of schedule. As the plane landed an announcement came over the PA system.

"**EastWest airlines welcomes you to Tokyo. Again we apologize for the pilot stepping out for popcorn during the in-flight movie."**

After the plane had taxied up to the gate, and had stopped moving, the passengers began to disembark. Among the passengers was a pink-haired girl who had yellow stars in her hair. She was wearing a white mini skirt and a blue and red top with a white stripe and star that left her midriff exposed. She wore the latest in fashionable shoes, and had a carry on purse slung over her shoulder.

Her brown eyes took in the airport as she looked for her friends.

She found a few of them nearby waving at her.

"Judging by your apparel I assume you've adjusted to American life well Mimi," said Izzy smiling as the girl approached.

"With no small help from George," she said, "honestly, when I first arrived in New York I was extremely confused. I had no idea where the local shopping malls were, or what the latest fashions were, and don't even get me started about the food. He helped me get used to the new culture by flying over from Pittsburgh almost every weekend for a few months."

The girl looked around the terminal for a few minutes.

"By the way, where is George?" she asked, "he promised my parents he'd be here to keep an eye on me."

"He uhhh, had a little difficulty with the car rental agency," said Tai, "apparently being almost 9,000 years old in the Digital World still doesn't mean he can rent a car before he's 25 in human years."

"When did he speak to your parents about this trip?" asked the curious Izzy, "he's been here for a while."

"He came by last Thursday to convince my parents to let me go on this trip," replied Mimi, "they left Japan because of the whole 'Digital World' thing, and didn't think it would be safe for me to go back. I tried to tell them I'd be fine and that I missed you guys, but they wouldn't hear of it. They don't want me to have anything to do with the Digital World."

"…so they sent you up here at the request of the global Digidestined's leader?" asked Tai incredulously.

"They don't know he's a Digidestined," replied Mimi, "according to my parents, I met George through Izzy, and George met Izzy on an online chess tournament."

"Apparently, George was so impressed by my skills, that he flew out to Japan to meet me," continued Izzy, "at least, that's how the story goes."

"…and your parents actually believe that?" asked Sora skeptically.

"Sure," replied Mimi, "to them it makes perfect sense that all the world's geniuses know each other."

"You managed to book a flight to Japan two days prior to the flight?" asked Izzy incredulously, "that is very hard to believe."

"George has a lot of influence in the US," said Mimi, "all he had to do was call the airline and ask for a first class seat, and poof, it was available."

As they were talking, they walked towards baggage claim. Seated next to one of the carosels looking disheveled and extremely annoyed was George. He was surrounded by about a dozen or so bright pink suitcases stacked onto three trolleys.

"Hey!" shouted Tai, "looks like you made it after all!"

"No thanks to that blasted rental agency," grumbled George.

"Did you finally procure a vehicle?" inquired Izzy.

"No," sighed the fallen warrior, "I flew here instead. Much less of a hassle."

"Do you want me to drive you back?" asked Sora, "there ought to be enough room in my mom's van."

George muttered something about being driven by inferior beings making him sick and declined the offer.

"So are these your suitcases Mimi?" asked Tai.

"Yeah," said Mimi, "and it looks like George got them all."

"There are an awful lot of them," commented Tai.

"Grab a trolley and push," sighed George, as he, Tai, and Sora approached the carts.

* * *

Davis was having yet another nightmare. Again he was in an infinitely looping series of events, and again George Helltower was the source of his torment.

Let's take another peek shall we?

* * *

"_I've got you just where I want you!" exclaimed the Emperor as his minions bound the Digidestined, "there's no escape this time!"_

_Unbeknownst to the Emperor, George appeared behind him with Sobekmon. They had approached him from his blind side, so he hadn't noticed them yet._

"_Hi George!" said Davis cheerfully, "I suppose you're here to help?"_

_George and Sobekmon froze for a moment as the Emperor turned around._

"_Destroy them!" he yelled to his minions, who proceded to attack and delete George and Sobekmon. The scene whited out._

"_What kind of idiot are you anyways?" George wanted to know, "didn't you notice that we were trying to sneak up on the Emperor?"_

"_Sorry," said Davis sheepishly._

"_Sorry?" exclaimed George, "sorry doesn't cut it when your teammate's lives are at stake! Go back and get it right this time!"_

_The fallen warrior gave Davis a push backwards, and, like last time, Davis found himself in the exact same situation as before. This time, however, he remained silent and George and Sobekmon managed to startle the Emperor._

"_Shotgun Blaster!"_

_Sobekmon pulled out a white shell from his belt and shot it at the Emperor's minions. The shell multiplied and broke several of the Dark Rings. George meanwhile was engaged in fisticuffs with the Emperor. Davis and the others watched as, eventually, the duo was overwhelmed by sheer numbers, and was captured as well. _

"_At last I've even managed to capture my mortal enemy George Helltower," said the Emperor gleefully, "I shall now execute punishment for his defiance."_

_The Emperor pulled out a Colt .45 revolver and placed it against the fallen warrior's head._

"_Hasta lavista Helltower!" scoffed the Emperor as he pulled the trigger._

_The scene whited out, and George appeared again looking very angry._

"_That's twice you've let me die!" he exclaimed, "do you not like me or something?"_

"_It doesn't help that you barge into my dreams," remarked Davis._

"_Silence!" barked George, "what you feel towards your other teammates doesn't matter. They are your teammates and you must protect them…just as they would do the same for you!"_

"_What the hell did you want me to do?" demanded Davis, "I was kinda tied up at the time…"_

"_Do the words 'DigiArmor Energize' mean anything to you?" asked George, "because there were at least two different ways of breaking your bindings."_

_Davis still looked confused._

"_There were fragments from Dark Rings lying around…sharp fragments," said George slowly, "do you understand what I'm trying to tell you?"_

"…_I think so," said Davis._

"_Good," said George smiling, "because if you let me die one more time, it's curtains for you!"_

"_NO!" exclaimed Davis, "I don't wanna be killed by curtains! I hear they can wrap you up tighter than a boa constrictor!"_

"_First of all," said George smaking his forehead, "no they can't. Second, it's a figure of speech. What I meant was, if you fail me again I will have you sent to detention…for eternity!"_

"_NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" exclaimed a distraught Davis.

* * *

_

Davis awoke in a cold sweat; the alarm clock read 3:02am.

"Dammit!" he thought, "this isn't going to be a regular occurrence is it?"

* * *

"Are you sure you won't come along with us George?" asked Sora as she and the other Digidestined climbed into the van.

George looked at the packed vehicle. Mimi's luggage occupied the entire trunk and backseat areas as well as the aisles. Izzy sat cramped in one of the middle row seats while Mimi sat comfortably in the other. Tai was squished in the front passenger seat with Mimi's carry on purse taking up most of his leg room, and Sora had the driver's seat.

"I'm sure," said George without any hesitation whatsoever, "I'll meet you guys back in Odaiba."

With that, the fallen warrior turned and began jogging in the direction of Odaiba.

"At that rate he'll get there tomorrow evening," remarked Mimi.

"Once he's out of sight, he'll fly to Odaiba," said Izzy, "in reality, he'll probably get there before we do…"

* * *

"Come on Patamon!" exclaimed TK, "we're going to be late!"

TK grabbed the orange and white pig-like digimon and stuffed him in his backpack as he ran out the door.

He and the other Digidestined (newbies included) were supposed to meet at the school at 9:00am. (George had managed to convince Principal Toyama to allow him to use the facility even though it was Saturday.) Right now it was 8:45, and TK had to meet Yolei and Cody downstairs in the lobby before heading off to school.

* * *

"Okay Gatomon, in you go!" said Kari happily indicating her backpack, "I've made a nice little bed for you."

"If you think I'm getting in there think again!" said Gatomon defiantly.

"Oh come on," said Kari cheerfully as she grabbed Gatomon by the scruff of her neck and shoved her unceremoniously into the awaiting backpack, "it'll be fun!"

Gatomon mentally sighed; Kari couldn't have done this 4 years ago…

* * *

"Upamon where are you?" said Cody, "I turn my back on him for a few seconds…"

The yellow blob was located in a basket on the kitchen table watching Fumiko Hida (Cody's mother) as she cut several green objects with white and brownish fillings.

"Cody!" he exclaimed noticing his partner, and jumping down from the table (still in the basket).

"How many times do I have to tell you do stay out of sight?" asked Cody almost scolding.

"I think your mom is making us some candy!" exclaimed the blob, not perturbed in the least.

"That's not candy; it's sushi," corrected Cody as he carried the basket containing his partner into his room.

"Does it taste like candy?" asked Upamon.

"No," said Cody, "it's raw fish and seaweed."

"Yucky!" exclaimed Upamon sticking out his tongue.

"That's what I though too at first," said Cody as he closed to door to his room.

* * *

"Yolei where are you going?" asked her mother.

"I told you," shouted Yolei, "Izzy's got a guest speaker visiting the Computer Club, and today's the only day he can impart his wisdom on us."

"On a Saturday?" asked her mother, "just who would come into Odaiba on a Saturday to give a lecture to a Computer Club? It surely couldn't be anyone important, besides, today's the day you help out around the convenience store."

Yolei decided that telling the truth would be a good idea in this instance…sort of.

"The guest speaker is George Helltower," she said, "only the world's best programmer and videogame tycoon of the United States. He's a busy man and could only come in today…he's got a lot of meetings you know."

"How'd Izzy manage to book a speaker like that?" her mother wanted to know.

"He and Izzy go way back," ad-libbed Yolei, "they met on some Internet forum or other, and Izzy impressed George, so now they're friends."

"…I see," said Mrs. Inoue, as her daughter skipped out the doors.

* * *

"Man, where are those guys?" grumbled Davis. It was 9:03 and there was no sign of anyone at the school exept him and Kari.

Kari noticed that Davis appeared exhausted once again.

"Are you okay Davis?" she asked.

The gogglehead nodded.

"I'm fine," he said, yawning, "I'm just having a little trouble sleeping."

"This wouldn't have anything to do with George would it?" she asked.

"…not exactly," said Davis vaguely looking away from Kari.

She was about to ask what he meant, but a shadow fell over the duo as George Helltower began to land.

"Sorry I'm late," he remarked as he touched ground, "you wouldn't believe the traffic in the skyway this morning."

He looked around.

"Where're the others?" he asked.

"Here we are!" shouted Yolei as she, TK, and Cody ran over to the group.

"I apologize for our tardiness," said Cody bowing slightly, "but Upamon refused to leave my apartment without tasting some sushi…"

"It's all good," said George, "we still have to wait for the others to arrive from the airport; it took a while to get Mimi's entire luggage loaded…"

TK and Kari chuckled, but Davis, Yolei, and Cody looked confused.

"Who's Mimi?" asked the lavender haired girl.

"She's another of the Odaiba Digidestined," remarked George, "but her parents decided they would move to New York after the events of four years ago."

George checked his watch, and a few seconds later, the packed van appeared.

"Huh?" asked Tai.

"How'd we get here so quickly?" asked Sora.

"Couldn't we have at least dropped my luggage off at Sora's first?" complained Mimi.

"I'm sorry," said George sympathetically, "but I needed to borrow Izzy. We're about to go to the Digital World."

Mimi's eyes lit up.

"Can I come too?" she asked.

The Digidestined nodded and remarked how it would be great to have her come along, but George's features became somber. He pulled the pink princess to the side and whispered so that no one else could hear.

"You may want to sit this one out," he said quietly.

"Why?" asked Mimi.

"You remember the Digimon Emperor I was telling you about?" asked George.

"The guy who began taking over the Digital World and enslaving digimon right?" confirmed Mimi.

"Yeah," said George sadly, "and unfortunately, my sources have told me he's now captured and enslaved Palmon…"

Mimi's eyes went wide with shock as George continued.

"The sector I intend to recapture today is the last known location where Palmon was stationed. It's likely we'll have to fight her, and I don't want you to have to see that…" he said caringly.

Mimi forced a smile to her face as she replied.

"You don't have to worry about me George. Stop acting like my parents and trying to protect me from all harm. I appreciate all that you've done for me so far, but you can't just shield me from evil. I've been to the Digital World before and fought the Dark Masters. If Palmon needs me, then how can I just sit here and pretend that nothing is happening?" she said.

George sighed.

"I understand," he replied, and the two rejoined the others, who were already filing inside the school…except for Tai and Sora.

"We'll see you guys later!" Tai called as he and Sora ran towards the soccer fields.

"Practice hard!" said Kari.

"When was Tai allowed to play soccer again?" Izzy wanted to know.

"Yesterday evening the doctor called and told us that Tai was no longer under medical supervision," said Kari, "however, he did recommend that Tai should take it easy for a few more days at the very least."

"…and the first thing he does is go play soccer?" asked Izzy incredulously.

"That's Tai for you!" said Davis proudly.

"Besides," added George, "you and I both know there's nothing wrong with him."

Izzy conceded, and the Digidestined finally entered the school, heading straight for the computer lab.

As Izzy pulled up the Digital World map program he and George had discovered, the eldest Digidestined thought about the previous night's discussion he had with Hannah.

"She's right," he thought, "the new Digidestined deserve to be treated as part of the team…even if I'm not fond of their particular personalities. The Digital World must have chosen them for a reason, and who am I to question the powers that be?"

As he began to open his mouth, he was cutoff by Izzy.

"Hey everybody look at this!" exclaimed the boy genius.

"What's up?" asked Yolei as she and the others gathered around.

The Child of Knowledge enlarged the center of the map and pointed to the square in the exact middle of the Digital World. It was half black and half white.

"What the hell?" swore Davis, "what the f%$$ does that mean?"

"Language Mr. Motamiya," said George, "I was just about to explain."

All eyes turned toward the fallen warrior as he began to elucidate that sector's bizarre behavior.

"The center of the Digital World is known as the The Jungle of Parallel Times," began George, "the name eminates from the fact that the jungle exists simultaneously at two times. Usually, one plane of the jungle is morning or early afternoon, while the other plane is late afternoon or evening. Beware though, even though it looks like the times are twelve hours apart, in reality they are centuries, If not millennia, apart."

"I know the Digital World can defy conventional physic, but that seems a little excessive," said Izzy.

"What he said," added Davis.

"How can that be possible?" asked Cody.

George sighed.

"It's a long story," he said, "the Jungle of Parallel Times was not always known by that name. At one point it had been known as the Central Jungle, denoting the fact that it's at the center of the Digital World's landmass. However, a few millennia ago, an evil digimon emerged from the future to battle the most powerful of the Digidestined...me."

George looked around the room to see all eyes were glued to him in rapt attention, even Davis managed to look somewhat intelligent.

"This Digimon was aptly named Milleniummon. I'm still not sure when he came from, but one day he just suddenly appeared," he continued, "Milleniummon had the ability to manipulate space-time. In other words, it is because of his influence that, for a while, the Digital World and the real world were out of sync timewise. His appearance distorted the timeline and retroactively sped up the Digital World's chronology in comparison to that of the real world. In fact, it was only a few months ago that the worlds realigned."

"But you defeated Milleniummon right?" asked Davis.

"Yes," replied George, "it wasn't easy, but eventually, with a lot of help, I managed to finally defeat Milleniummon."

"Then how is it that the Jungle of Parallel Times still exists in two times? It is a remnant of Milleniummon's influence?" inquired Izzy.

"Yes and no," replied George, "you see during his invasion, Milleniummon built a massive tower at the center of the Digital World's landmass, the Central Jungle. This citadel amplified his already unstoppable powers because it was made out of a material that will be discovered thousands of years from now that can distort space-time, which will give rise to the first time machines. The tower became known as the Citadel of Time and was a symbol of the tyranny of Milleniummon."

"So the tower is still there?" asked Cody.

"Of course not!" said George indignantly, "after defeating Milleniummon the first thing I did was I blew up the accursed tower."

"So how is it still distorting time?" asked Kari.

"…the explosions didn't reach the subbasements," replied George sadly, "there are extensive catacombs that form a labyrinth underneath where the tower used to stand. That is what is causing the time distortion."

"So why don't you destroy the subbasements too?" asked Izzy.

"In order to do that, I'd have to blow up a decent part of the jungle itself," replied George, "Milleniummon extended the subbasements throughout the entire underground of the territory."

"Enough with the history lesson!" yelled Davis, "let's go already!"

Izzy selected the Jungle of Parallel Times as the destination, and the Digidestined held up their digivices.

* * *

The Digimon Emperor gazed at his latest Spire as is stood majestically lit by the moon's rays. Truth be told, he had been a little nervous about claiming this territory because of Millenniummon's influence. He himself had seen the destruction and devastation caused by the temporal digimon roughly ten years ago. True he had been a little kid back then, but even now he still had the occasional nightmare revolving around Millenniummon. For the most part though, he viewed Millenniummon as a challenge to surpass.

"If I want to become the most evil being the Digital World has ever encountered, I'll have to surpass even Millenniummon," he had figured, and hence, as a sign of his superiority, he'd built a Control Spire in the very territory that had been the temporal deity's homebase, the very territory that still had the after effects of his occupation.

"The best part is, those fools will never be able to find this Spire because I've hidden it in the past!" thought the Emperor.

Wormmon scuttled over to his master.

"Togamon reported that the takeover has been completed Master, the indigenous Digimon have been captured," he said.

"Excellent!" said the Emperor, "everything is proceding as I had planned. I'll amass a large army in the past and use it to take over the present!"

After glancing around for a few moments, the tyrant looked at his watch.

"Let's go Wormmon! We still have to reclaim those territories we lost yesterday!" he shouted as he turned back towards where he had come from.

* * *

One bright flash of light later, the Digidestined found themselves blinking in the sunlight of a hot and steamy jungle.

"Wow," said Davis, "it sure is a scorcher!"

"Of course it is," pontificated Izzy, "we're in a tropical climate which is usually very warm, and very humid."

"I'll take a look around for the Control Spire," said George, who, for obvious reasons, had not worn his heavy trench coat on this mission.

The Warrior of Power flew upwards above the treetops and glimpsed around in all directions. As he had been informed, the Spire wasn't there.

He sighed as he flew back down to the ground.

"See anything?" asked Yolei.

He shook his head.

"Well that's just great!" exclaimed Davis, "how the hell are we supposed to destroy the Spire now?"

"Relax oh short and goggled one," said George, "and follow me."

The Digidestined and their partners trailed behind the Warriors of Power as they led them in an all too familiar direction.

Crocmon noticed his partner was looking a little concerned.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"I never wanted to return there," replied George as a haunted look came over his eyes.

* * *

By now, the Emperor had returned to the northern hemisphere of the Digital World and was currently attempting to regain control of the territories he'd lost the day before, but the digimon defenders, united under Ikkakumon, were too well organized and prepared for his return…it was almost as if they'd predicted his moves, but that was impossible. More than likely they had just guessed he wouldn't take a defeat like yesterday's lying down and would more than likely return to reclaim the territories and slaves he had lost.

"Still," he thought, as his army of slaves continued to get beaten back, "I can never be too careful. Especially with a spy afoot…"

* * *

After a few miles, everyone was drenched in sweat. The jungle seemed endless.

"This jungle is going to ruin my hair," remarked Mimi.

Everyone, except George and Izzy, glared at her. Even the usually even tempered Cody was finding himself annoyed by the elder Digidestined's obsession with her appearance. This was the third comment she had made about how the jungle was destroying her image. Davis was especially cranky, having not had a good night's sleep for two nights in a row now.

"Shut up lady!" he yelled, "you're getting on my nerves."

A few moments passed in silence. Kari glanced at George. She had expected him to comment on Davis's outburst, but he remained completely silent as he led them down a path only he and Crocmon seemed to know.

"Something's wrong," she thought, "usually George is a lot more cheerful and undaunted by their missions, but this one seemed to bother him immensely. She could read from his behavior. His movements were rigid, his muscles were tensed up, and he was deathly silent, none of which was characteristic of the George she knew. Gatomon could tell too.

"What's up with George?" asked the feline digimon, "he looks about as nervous as a long tailed cat near a rocking chair."

"I'm not sure," replied Kari.

"I have a hypothesis," said Izzy as he came alongside the two, "my guess is that George is leading us to the Citadel of Time."

"What's that got to do with his strange behavior?" asked Tentomon.

"From what he told us, fighting Millenniummon was extremely difficult. That building reminds him of Millenniummon, and therefore he subconsciously tenses himself up and gets ready for combat," explained the boy genius.

Kari nodded, that made sense.

A half hour later, the Digidestined were still walking through the jungle. By now everyone was angry, hot, and tired, except George, who now seemed tenser than before.

"We must be getting close," thought Kari.

Sure enough, they soon came across a heap of slag that had become severely corroded with time. Vines, ferns, and moss had grown on the pile's surface, but it had clearly, at one time, been part of a massive structure of some sort. As they continued walking, the slag heaps became more and more common all in the same condition as the first. Eventually, the Digidestined could see a structure in a clearing just up ahead, or so it appeared. It took another twenty minutes to actually get close to the structure, and another five to reach it.

The structure was a massive base on which the Citadel of Time had once been built. All that remained was sections of a heavily corroded wall covered with moss and the remains of an ancient doorway.

"Wow," said Izzy, impressed despite the heat, "that must be at least a half a mile in diameter…"

"Yeah," remarked George, breaking his silence, "and the tower itself was over five miles tall…bad guys never think small do they?"

The Warrior of Power laughed nervously, but it was clear that he was just trying to defuse his anxiety.

As he led the other Digidestined inside the former building, the fallen warrior shuddered involuntarily, as though an evil wind suddenly had blown through the air.

Upon entering, it was clear that the whole place was just as messy and decayed as the outside. George walked towards a far corner, and the others followed silently. When they got to the corner, they saw a rickety corroded staircase that led down to depths unknown. It was at this staircase that George stopped.

"I really never thought I'd have to come back here," he said, more to himself than to anyone else, and began descending the staircase. The others followed suit.

* * *

"Wow, that George Helltower must have prepared a long speech," said Mrs. Inoue, "those kids have been gone for at least two hours."

"More than likely, Yolei is bombarding him with a million questions," replied her husband chuckling.

"Maybe we should call Izzy and see what's going on," said Mrs. Inoue a little nervously.

"Don't bother," replied Manturo, her eldest and only son, "if this Helltower guy is still speaking, interrupting him would be a crime punishable by death…at least according to Yolei."

"If you say so…" replied Mrs. Inoue, but she was still a little upset that her daughter hadn't returned home yet…now who was going to sweep the aisles?

* * *

The air became decidedly chillier as the Digidestined continued to descend the stairway. The metal walls had long since faded and were now solid rock. Some of the rocks had rune like symbols on them, which made Izzy curious.

"What's with the runes?" he asked.

"Part of the subbasement was already here to begin with," replied George, Millenniummon just built on top of and expanded these ruins for the foundation of his Citadel."

"How much further down do we have to go?" asked Patamon, "it feels like we've been walking forever…"

"Not far now," replied Crocmon.

Indeed, a few minutes later, the bottom was in sight, and the Digidestined quickly finished their descent. At the bottom was an unexpected sight. There were remnants of what appeared to be the camp of a small army, camp fire burns, litter, a few tattered tents, some broken weapons, and more all lay discarded and scattered around the floor of the massive room. On the walls were slogans, advocating causes long since vanished.

'Viva La Resistance!'

'Down with the Dark Masters!'

'Freedom for all!'

Several doorways were seen around the edges of the room's parimeter.

"What was this place?" asked Yolei as she and the others looked around in awe.

"This was one of the main headquarters of the digimon resistance against the Dark Masters," replied George, "and it became the only base after my home on Upload Island was destroyed and my mobile aquatic fortress was disabled…"

"You fought against the Dark Masters?" asked TK, "how come you didn't come help us then?"

"As a Sovereign, it is not permitted for me to interfere directly in the matters of the Digital World," replied George, "as such, I helped out by donating my surveilence network, facilities, and time to the cause as well as organizing the resistance and keeping the Dark Masters off your back until you were capable of defeating them. I even went head-to-head with all four of them once. That's how my home was destroyed."

"That Sovereign bullshit isn't stopping you from interfering now," commented Davis.

"This case is…different," said George carefully, "mostly because this time it's a human that's invading the Digital World."

"We can catch up on our history lessons later," remarked Cody, "for now we need to focus on our mission to stop the Digimon Emperor."

"Cody's right," said Mimi with a hint of steel in her voice that only George understood.

He put a comforting hand on the pink princess's shoulder.

"Don't worry," he whispered, half smiling, "we'll find and rescue Palmon."

"Which way do we go now boss?" asked Davis.

"This way," replied George, as he and Crocmon again took the lead.

The duo led the Digidestined through a series of complex tunnels that twisted, turned, and forked in many directions. In each of the tunnels, evidence of the resistance's occupation was present. Within moments, the Digidestined were completely lost, with no idea which way was even up.

"This is even worse than Myotismon's castle," remarked Izzy.

"The castle was modeled after this place," replied George as he continued to lead, occasionally stopping to glance at a familiar marking.

"It was?" asked Izzy, "so Myotismon knew about this place?"

"No," said George, "the castle that became Myotismon's was once the headquarters of Gennai and his companions known as the Order. It was taken over by the Dark Masters when they tried to stop them from creating the new Crests. The winding and gravity defying staircases were meant to be an ultimate, impenetrable defense but…"

After a few more twists and turns, the Digidestined found themselves at a dead-end.

"Way to go genius," said Davis sarcastically, "you've gotten us lost."

"On the contrary," said George approaching the far wall, "I know exactly where we are."

The Warrior of Power felt around for a bit on the wall, but eventually pushed a secret switch hidden in the bricks. The wall began to turn around revealing…

…a set of shelves filled with various bottles and cans of beer. (A/N: anticlimactic ain't it?) The Digidestined sweatdropped as George fondly pulled down an ancient looking bottle.

"My secret stash!" he said happily taking a chug.

"YOU LED US ALL THE WAY HERE JUST SO YOU COULD DRINK SOME BEER?" yelled Davis, "WHAT THE HELL'S THE MATTER WITH YOU!"

"For once I agree with Davis," said Cody, "we shouldn't be fooling around at a time like this."

"Geez you guys have no sense of humor," said George sadly, "I know this maze like the back of my hand. Not only have I spent a lot of time in here, but I've also been through mazes that were a lot worse than this one…"

"…and you still led us here instead of to our ultimate destination?" asked Yolei, "that's sad…"

"It just so happens," continued George, "that one of the more direct passages to our destination is collapsed. Thus the fastest way is actually through here."

The Digidestined looked dumbfounded.

"There's nothing here but your shitty beer," commented Davis, which really got George angry.

"Number one," said the fallen warrior menacingly as he approached Davis who promptly cowered in the corner, "do NOT insult my beer. This happens to be quality stuff."

Cody and Yolei rolled their eyes sarcastically as if to say 'get to the point already!'

"Number two," said George as he stepped onto a second hidden switch, causing part of the floor to fold inward revealing a flight of stairs, "I purposely hid my beer here to mark the location of this secret staircase."

"WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY SO IN THE FIRST GODDAMNED PLACE!" shouted Davis.

"Because I don't need to explain myself to you Mr. Motomiya," replied George as he began descending the secret staircase. Once again the Digidestined followed.

What seemed like an eternity later, they reached the bottom, which revealed several more passageways, each with evidence of the resistance's occupation.

"Just how big was this resistance?" asked Izzy.

"I'd say a few hundred thousand digimon or so…you can practically hide an army down here," replied George, "also, time itself is slowed down in here, so what seems like an hour down here is actually a few seconds in the Digital World."

"Amazing," said Izzy, "I'd like to take an eternity just to study these tunnels and ruins thoroughly…"

"Unfortunately, this sector, because of the weak boundaries between space-time, is also the most unstable sector in the Digital World," said George, "from time to time there will be severe storms and earthquakes that spontaneously occur…if you're trapped in here during an earthquake you will likely get crushed by falling debris…"

"Ah" said Izzy, and the Digidestined continued walking in silence.

Eventually, the signs of the Resistance's occupation disappeared and they felt the ground beginning to incline, which meant the end of their trip was at hand. After they finally emerged into the fresh night air, Izzy, once again, appeared deep in thought.

"It bothers me that the Emperor was able to plant a Control Spire at this end of the time tunnel," he remarked, "because if the only way to get here is via the Citadel of Time, then the Emperor must have known it as well as you did to make it through the maze…"

"Not necessarily," said George, "like I said, time is slowed down in there. We were actually in there for only about 15 seconds. If the Emperor had no idea which way to go, he probably just marked passageways and explored the whole thing to get here…which would take about a half hour of real time, which goes to show you how extensive those tunnels are. Either way, a half hour isn't that much time, so he could have easily planted a Spire here and returned to the Digital World using the markings he left in the maze beforehand making his return trip much faster."

After walking a few miles away from the decrepit Citadel, George stopped in a clearing and raised a hand to signal the others to stop.

"I suggest we take a quick break and get a bearing on our position," he said, after which the others promptly collapsed and began massaging their sore feet.

In the interim, Geogre climbed a nearby tree, and began surveying the surrounding area for any sign of the Control Spire. He didn't have to look for very long. The tall obelisk protruded from the jungle canopy roughly five miles from their current position.

"There you are," George thought, as his eyes fell on the structure, "I wonder what sort of trap Ken has planned for us this time…"

"See anything?" called Davis from below.

"The Spire isn't far from here, but I'd wager that the Emperor has traps hidden in the foliage," replied the former gogglehead, as he leapt down from the tree.

"So what do we do?" asked Mimi.

"Give us a moment," replied George, "I'm sure Izzy and I can come up with something…"

* * *

A pair of glowing red eyes watched the Digidestined's arrival from the ruins of the Citadel.

"Interesting," said the shadowed figure behind the eyes, "I'm sure Togamon would love to hear about this…"

The figure retreated into the shrubbery and began swinging from branches and vines to get to his ultimate destination.

* * *

"So if we spilt up into two groups and cut around the path, one group can distract the enemies while the other takes out the Spire," concluded Izzy as he pointed to the diagram he and George had drawn on the ground (with a stick).

"Ok, so who's in what group?" asked Yolei.

"We'll worry about that when the time comes," said George, "in the meantime, we're going to be staying in one group, just in case we happen to encounter enemies en route to the Spire."

The Digidestined nodded, and George scuffed out the plan as they began to walk towards the evil tower.

As they were walking George was thinking.

"I wonder," he thought, "based on what I saw from the ruins on this side, the Resistance had not yet made the catacombs their secret base yet…that means this timeline is pre-Dark Masters, but how far beforehand are we?"

The fallen warrior stopped walking to ponder this latest conundrum.

"I don't recall seeing a Spire before the Digimon Emperor came around, but if we've gone far enough back in time…" he thought, "there's got to be a way I can find out for sure…"

As he was thinking, he saw something interesting out of the corner of his eye.

"I'll be right back," he told the other Digidestined as he pulled Crocmon off of the path, "bathroom break, go on without me."

"Charming," said Yolei, as she and the others continued walking.

When the others were out of earshot, Crocmon glanced at his partner.

"What's up?" he asked.

"I'm not sure, but something about this version of the jungle tells me we've traveled back quite a ways," replied George, as he walked towards a nearby tree.

Scratches could be seen in the bark. At one point, the scratches had resembled a picture of George and the other original digidestined, but now it was stretched out.

"This tree got burned down by Milleniummon while we were fighting…in fact, this whole area of the jungle had been burned down," said George, "it was only just starting to fully regrow when the Dark Masters showed up…which means."

"We've gone back in time to before Milleniummon's arrival," finished Crocmon, "I get it."

George patted his partner on the back.

"C'mon old friend, we have someone we simply must get in contact with," he said.

* * *

"General Togamon!" yelled an enslaved digimon as he burst forth from the underbrush, "there are intruders in the Emperor's domain."

The digimon was ape-like and had brown fur. He had bandages around his lower arms just above the wrists, and a tail that poked out of the grass loincloth he was wearing. He had green grass-like hair, and wore a necklace of teeth around his waist. A brightly colored mask with a feathery crown covered his face, but his glowing red eyes were visable through the mask. In his left arm, he carried a red boomerang that was covered in hieroglyphics, and had a bandage around the end he was carrying. A Dark ring encircled one of his ankles.

"Intruders Sepikmon?" asked Togamon, "what did they look like?" A Dark Ring was visable around the giant cactus' wrist just above the red boxing glove, and it caused Togamon's eyes and mouth to glow eerily in the night's dim light.

"Humans by the look of them," replied the digimon, "I couldn't count how many."

"Those pesky Digidestined must have found out the Emperor's plan!" exclaimed Togamon, "we must hasten preparations and find out how much they know!"

The cactus brought her fists together, and, at the signal, several dozen shadowed figures appeared around Togamon, their eyes all glowed red.

"There are intruders," said Togamon, "find them and capture them!"

The digimon nodded and scattered.

* * *

"That should get his attention," said George, as he and Crocmon walked back towards the path.

"It will certainly make things…interesting," said Crocmon.

As they came in sight of the path¸they saw that the other Digidestined were taking a short break.

As George approached, he saw several pairs of glowing red eyes surrounding the others. There was only a moment for George and Crocmon to process the situation when five digimon, including two Sepikmon, and three large brown flightless birds with white masks jumped his surprised companions.

"Shit!" swore George as he charged in to save his friends.

* * *

"W-w-who are you guys?" asked Davis as the enslaved digimon grabbed them.

"We are Sepikmon," said the boomerang holding digimon, "beware our Spirit Boomerang attack or it will eliminate you!"

"We are Kiwimon," said the flightless birds, "we will pummel you into submission with our Pummel Peck!"

As the seven humans and five Rookies struggled to get free, George burst out from the underbrush and slammed into one of the Sepikmon.

"Not on my watch buster!" he yelled as he aimed a punch at one of the Kiwimon.

"Spirit Boomerang!"

The remaining Sepikmon threw his boomerang at George. The hieroglyphs glowed bright blue. George dodged the boomerang, which immediately sliced through several trees, but, like all boomerangs, it made a return trip, which George had forgotten about in the heat of the moment. The boomerang knocked George on the head, and he fell over.

The first Sepikmon stood up, and gave a warcry. Instantly, numerous enslaved digimon descended upon the Digidestined, including a few bipedal blue dinosaurs with red stripes wearing feathered headbands and a necklace with metal coins, brown furry digimon that looked just like Mojyamon, and a few gigantic green dragonflies.

"We're Allomon," said the dinosaurs, "we'll incinerate you with our Dino Burst attack!"

"We're JungleMojyamon," said the brown yetis, "we'll defeat you with our Jungle Punch and Jungle Bone attacks!"

"We're Yanmamon," said the giant dragonflies, "we'll zap you with our Thunder Ray attack!"

George stood up shakily. Blood trickled from where the boomerang had hit him, but he glanced at the other Digidestined.

"Get out of here," he said, "I'll distract them long enough for you to escape and hide."

"That's crazy!" exclaimed Yolei, "we can just Armor Digivolve and take these guys out!"

"There are too many of them," said George, "and besides, taking out the Spire is much more important."

Izzy sighed.

"Logically, he's correct," said the boy genius, "destroying the Spire will free all the digimon, but if we stay here and get captured in a pointless engagement, the Emperor will win."

George pulled out his digivice and checked the signal. Regular digivolution was still jammed.

"DigiArmor Energize!" he yelled.

"Crocmon Armor Digivolve to Sobekmon, the Steel Soldier of Power!"

"Sobekmon, stay with the others. They'll need you more than they'll need me," said George.

"I understand," said Sobekmon, as he covered the retreat.

George turned to face the enslaved horde; his palms sparked with energy.

"You wanna get my friends?" he asked, "you'll have to get through me first!"

* * *

The Digidestined had managed to retreat a safe distance away from the battle.

"Why did you abandon your partner?" asked Izzy, "he needs your help!"

"He'll be fine," said Sobekmon, "I'm needed here more than I'm needed there."

Before Izzy could reply, an explosion rocked the jungle.

"Are you sure?" asked Cody sarcastically.

* * *

"We got him!" said an Allomon, as he slung an unconscious George over his shoulder, "I'll take him back to Togamon, the rest of you find the others!"

The other Digimon nodded and scattered once again as the Allomon dashed towards the Spire and the awaiting Togamon.

* * *

The Digidestined were still headed towards the Control Spire, but they were avoiding the main path. Fortunately, Sobekmon had an impeccable sense of direction due to an internal compass, so they hadn't gotten turned around during their retreat.

Since the explosion, they had been walking in silence, but after a few more minutes Davis couldn't take it any more.

"Aren't we going to help George?" he asked.

"Patience," said Sobekmon, "we can help him by destroying the Spire and freeing the enslaved digimon."

Davis grumbled a little, but nothing more was said on the subject.

"George and Crocmon seem to trust each other completely. Crocmon was willing to let George face insurmountable odds just so that the mission would succeed. He didn't question George's decision at all," thought Cody, "I wonder if Armadillomon and I will be like that some day."

The 4th grader's thought were interrupted by a familiar warcry, as seven Sepikmon leapt out of the nearby foliage.

"Shit!" swore Davis as he and the younger Digidestined pulled out their digivices.

* * *

"We have captured an intruder General Togamon!" exclaimed the Allomon as he burst into the clearing where the Spire stood.

"Excellent!" said Togamon, and then she saw who the intruder was and her eyes widened (A/N: Can Togamon's eyes actually change shape even?), "you managed to defeat and capture George Helltower? The Master will be very pleased; he has been after this one for a long time."

"We live only to serve the Emperor," said the Allomon as he dropped the comatose George unceremoniously in front of the giant cactus digimon.

"Capture his friends and I'll see to it that the Emperor rewards you all," said Togamon.

The Allomon bowed and ran off back into the heart of the jungle.

* * *

"Fire Rocket!"

"Tempest Wing!"

"Star Shower!"

"Gold Rush!"

"Cat's Eye Beam!"

The Armor digimon launched their respective attacks against their simian foes, but the Sepikmon were too agile, they dodged each assault easily, and counterattacked.

"Spirit Boomerang!"

The boomerangs collided with the Armor digimon, but they still stood strong against their adversaries. Unfortunately, the Sepikmon's warcry had attracted the attention of the other hostile digimon in the area, and soon the other enslaved digimon arrived and surrounded the Digidestined.

"Spirit Boomerang!"

"Pummel Peck!"

"Dino Burst!"

"Jungle Bone!"

"Thunder Ray!"

The Sepikmon's boomerangs, a bunch of tiny explosive birds, several fire balls, large bones, and waves of electricity slammed into the Armor digimon causing them to dedigivolve into their Rookie levels until only Sobekmon, who thus far had remained motionless, was left standing.

"Hey!" exclaimed Davis to the motionless mechanized digimon, "a little help here!"

"This area is a little cramped for my particular fighting style," said Sobekmon, "if we could lure them into a clearing I'd be able to fight without hurting any of you."

"How the hell are we going to do that?" exclaimed Yolei.

"We could try running," suggested Izzy.

"On the count of three we make a break for it," said Davis, "Sobekmon can cover us."

Sobekmon nodded and charged his tail-whip.

"Three!" exclaimed Davis as he and the others made a run for it, when an enslaved Digimon got too close, Sobekmon slashed out with his electrified tail.

Soon, the group found themselves in a small clearing. Sobekmon nodded, and the Digidestined stopped running as the mechanized warrior pulled out his shotgun and inserted a white shell.

As their adversaries began to enter the clearing, Sobekmon pulled the trigger.

"Shotgun Blaster!"

The shell multiplied and struck several opponents forcing them to pull back a little. For the moment, the two parties were in a stalemate.

"What do we do now?" asked Mimi, "if we leave, Sobekmon won't be able to fight as effectively, but if we stay here we can help George."

"I wouldn't worry about that," said Sobekmon knowingly, "help is on the way."

"What do you mean by—" began Veemon, but he was cut off by a disturbance by their enemy's rear line. The source of the disturbance was revealed to be a medium sized figure that was attacking the enslaved digimon. The figure broke ring after ring until one of the Allomon called for a retreat, and the remaining captured digimon ran off.

"You folks alright?" asked the figure as he stepped out of the trees' shadow.

"Yeah we're—" began Yolei, but she was cut off as the figure was revealed to be none other than George Samuel Helltower.

* * *

George woke up, he found himself pinned to a tree by Togamon's needles; he couldn't move. Togamon and a guarding squad of about seven digimon were standing around the Control Spire, but when the giant cactus noticed that George was awake she thumped her gloves together loudly and walked towards him, her eerie glow being the main source of light in the clearing.

"Well, well, well Mr. Helltower," she said smugly, "you've given my Master a lot of trouble lately."

"Ken Ichijouji is not your master," said George, "you are the partner of Mimi Tachikawa. You helped defeat the Dark Masters and Apocalymon remember?"

"You pathetic attempts to brainwash me are futile Helltower," said the cactus, "the Emperor has opened my eyes to the truth."

George sighed.

"Talk about backwards logic," he thought.

"I didn't come here to chit-chat about ideologies with you Mr. Helltower," said the cactus, "I'm here to find out just how much you know of the Emperor's plans and to expose any spy you might have in his organization."

"I won't tell you anything," said Helltower defiantly.

Togamon cracked her knuckles.

"I was hoping you'd say that," she said as she pulled back one of her fists.

* * *

It was George Helltower, but it wasn't. He wore very similar clothing, and had the same hair style, and piercing green eyes. A tag and crest dangled from his neck, but it was impossible to see the symbol on it. Next to the crest hung a medallion with two pieces attached to it. He wore a sword, which was sheathed on his right hip. Additionally, he also wore a pair of worn goggles on his head, similar to how Tai, and later Davis, would come to wear them. He looked at the Digidestined with a look of puzzlement and slight shock.

"Humans?" he said more to himself than anyone else, "how is that possible?"

"You mean you don't know us?" asked Veemon.

"You digimon I know…at least I know of your species, but I've never seen these people before," replied the person who looked like George.

He spent a few more minutes pondering the situation, before deciding on a course of action. He withdrew his sword and leveled it at the Digidestined.

"I'm not sure what's going on here, but you people have some explaining to do," he said, "first a bizarre tower pops up in this sector, next the Dark Rings show up again, then I get a message on one of my surveillance cameras from a person who looks exactly like me, and a digimon that looks just like my partner, and now I find that there are other humans in the Digital World. Call me crazy, but something doesn't add up here."

Davis stepped forward.

"We're Digidestined just like you, I'm Davis, that's Yolei, Cody, TK, Kari, Izzy, and Mimi, and our partners Veemon, Hawkmon, Armadillomon, Patamon, and Gatomon. We're from the future just like that tower. The tower is called a Control Spire, and an evil tyrant from the future came back in time through those ruins in the center of the jungle, and began enslaving the digimon with his Dark Rings. We came back in time to stop him," he explained.

"Ok, but who's the big guy," asked the person who looked like George indicating Sobekmon, "and where's the guy that looks like me?"

"I'm Sobekmon, partner to George Helltower," replied the mechanical soldier, who wasn't at all surprised by the appearance of the strange person, "and George was taken hostage by the enslaved digimon."

"If I might ask," began Izzy, who was puzzled by this whole situation, "who are you and what are you doing here?"

The man who looked like George appeared puzzled for a moment before replying.

"Wherever there is evil afoot, and wherever digimon are in danger, I shall always be there, for I am George Samuel Helltower, the most powerful Digidestined on the planet!"

"…I was afraid you'd say that," said Izzy.

Past George appeared to be considering for a few moments before he sheathed his sword.

"Those controlled digimom were attacking you as well, so you are obviously not their ally," he said fiddling with his goggles, "for the moment I will take what you said at face value, not that I believe in all that 'time travel' crap, but it's the most logical explanation for your arrival…"

"I know what you're thinking," said Sobekmon, "and trust me Humongousmon is not responsible for the reemergence of the Dark Rings."

"Humongousmon?" asked Davis, before he was silenced by a wave from past George.

"Are you certain? This seems exactly like what he'd do if he finally recharged," he replied uncertainly.

"I am positive. You can trust me; I'd never lie to you," replied Sobekmon.

Past George appeared to breathe a sigh of relief, and he beckoned the Digidestined to follow him.

As they walked, Davis looked at Sobekmon and asked again.

"Who's Humongousmon?"

"Humongousmon was a gargantuan evil robotic tyrant who plunged the world into the Great Digital War," replied Sobekmon, "his main method for building up his army was by enslaving digimon with Dark Rings, similar to the Emperor's."

Past George, who had been listening in on their discussion, decided to chime in.

"Similar?" he asked, "they look like the same thing to me."

"We thought so too the first time we saw them, but these are much less powerful than the originals," replied Sobekmon.

Past George nodded, and they continued walking in silence.

Eventually, they reached a cave that was lit up by a camp fire within.

A crocodilian digimon was lounging near the fire, seemingly asleep until they were right upon him.

"Well?" asked the past Crocmon eyeing the newcomers, especially Sobekmon, with an aloof interest, "did you find out what's going on?"

"You're not going to believe this but…" began past George.

* * *

"Tell me what you know!" demanded Togamon, as she reared her fist yet again.

"I…will…tell…you…nothing!" said George between clenched teeth and bloody lips.

"Most unfortunate," said Togamon, "…for you that is!"

"Light Speed Jabbing!"

Togamon's fists rammed into George repeatedly and at very high speeds, the fallen warrior could have sworn he heard some ribs breaking. This time, he couldn't hold back the scream of pain that emerged from his lips.

* * *

"What was that?" asked past George, tweaking his goggles.

Past George had just finished explaining the situation to past Crocmon, when the cry of terror and pain echoed through the jungle.

"George!" exclaimed the younger Digidestined.

"Yes?" asked past George.

"No, we meant that the scream must have been George," explained Izzy quickly.

Past George stood up quickly, and pulled out his digivice.

"What're we waiting for?" he asked, "lets go save…uh…me!"

Past Crocmon nodded, and past George's digivice glowed as Sobekmon looked on with wide eyes.

"Crocmon digivolve to—MetalCrocmon!"

Past Crocmon had grown to a massive size, and his entire upper half was covered in metallic armor. A pair of metallic wings had emerged about halfway down his torso. He snapped his jaw menacingly.

"I am MetalCrocmon," explained the digimon, "don't mess with me or I'll blast you to bits with my Croc Missiles."

Sobekmon was astounded, "but how?" he asked quietly.

"Climb on!" said past George, as he climbed aboard his partner's back. The goggled warrior held out his hands towards the Digidestined. Izzy and Mimi took him up on the offer, but the others declined.

"It's high time you see what we can do!" exclaimed Davis.

"DigiArmor Energize!" yelled the five younger Digidestined.

"Veemon Armor digivolve to—Flamedramon, the Fires of Courage!"

"Hawkmon Armor digivolve to—Halsemon, the Wings of Love!"

"Armadillomon Armor digivolve to—Digmon, the Drill of Knowledge!"

"Patamon Armor digivolve to—Pegasusmon, Flying Hope!"

"Gatomon Armor digivolve to—Nefertimon, the Angel of Light!"

When the lights died down, Flamedramon, Halsemon, Digmon, Pegasusmon, and Nefertimon stood before them. Past George was fascinated.

"Armor digivolution huh?" he said, "that's a new one…"

As the younger Digidestined climbed aboard their partners (except for Davis and Cody who climbed aboard Nefertimon and Pegasusmon respectively), past George looked upon them with slight admiration and curiousity.

"Let's go!" exclaimed Davis.

"Enthusiastic little bugger ain't he?" past George asked Sobekmon.

The mechanized warrior nodded.

"I assume since I've never seen you in this form before, that you are Crocmon's Armor digivolved form?" asked past George.

"Correct as usual," replied Sobekmon.

The flying digimon took off, Flamedramon leaped around the trees, Digmon buried underground, and the procession was underway.

* * *

George coughed up blood. He would need a severe recharge after this. He only hoped his past self had gotten the message he'd sent and had teamed up with the new Digidestined.

"Knowing myself, I either believed them, or executed them," he thought

Narrator: Will George be able to escape from Togamon's grasp and free her from the Emperor's control, and what's with past George? Find out next time on Digimon: Digital Monsters!

21: Not bad for a day's work eh?

Sponsor: Oh great, now there are two of them...

George: Two of me? Yay!

21: The next chapter is already in progress, so hopefully I'll have it up soon.

Sponsor: You'd better!

George: Oh, before I forget, props for putting in a cameo of Hannah. We hadn't seen or heard from my old companions since this story began.

21: You needed a voice of reason as usual, and she was the most logical choice.

George: One more question, why did Dan and Jimmy join the army?

21: They decided they wanted to help save the world again, but they didn't quite want it to be as difficult as it had been when they were in the Digital World...

George: Ah...

Sponsor: Can we please wrap this up? I have some shopping to do!

21: Alright, alright, yeesh...That's all for now folks!


	7. Bungle in the Jungle part 2

21: Betcha y'all weren't expecting to see me again so soon!

Sponsor: To what do we owe this *sigh* pleasure?

21: Well, actually I was originally going to just have one long episode called "Bungle in the Jungle" but I eventually realized that it was getting a little too long, so I cut it short.

George: And afterward, since you knew where you had been going with the plot, it was easy to finish the episode right?

21: Indeed, plus I happen to enjoy episodes featuring more than one of my protagonist. It's very interesting to see how his psyche evolves over time (at least the time line I've got brewing in my brain anyways).

George: ...I'm not really sure what to think about that.

21: One more thing! I include a reference in this chapter to something that will make sense after I finish D0: The Demonic Dozen (I'm currently working on writing a new episode for that, but I highly suspect I'll finish the next one of these before I get to that...)

George: Take it away Sponsor man!

Sponsor: The21stMartian owns neither Digimon nor the Jethro Tull song from which this episode's name was taken, please do not sue him.

21: Onward with the spectacle!

Episode 7: Bungle in the Jungle part 2: Double Trouble Helltower Style!

Mimi: Last time I flew in from America, and joined Izzy as he and George accompanied the younger Digidestined into a territory known as the Jungle of Parallel Times. The Digimon Emperor had gone through the ruins of the Citadel of Time located in the jungle and had placed a Control Spire in the past. While attempting to destroy the evil tower, several enemies appeared. George valiantly stood up to them in order for us to escape, and sent Sobekmon along to help us. Shortly thereafter, we were ambushed once again. This time, a different version of George Helltower from the past helped us escape. Now we're on our way to rescue our George Helltower from my partner Togamon who's in charge of the Emperor's forces in this sector…I hope we can save her.

"Still won't talk eh?" asked Togamon as she glanced at the beaten Helltower before her, "oh well, too bad for you."

As the massive cactus pulled her fist back yet again, George smirked. He had just come up with an amusing idea.

"Okay, okay!" he said feigning desperation, "I'll talk! No more!"

"That's more like it!" said Togamon as she lowered her fist, "now, how do you know so much about the Emperor's plans? Who's your spy?"

"Y-y-you are," said George, "I planted a mind control device within the programming of your Dark Ring. It makes you tell me everything you know!"

"What?" exclaimed the distraught cactus, "that's impossible!"

"It's true," said George, "the only way to get rid of my brainwashing device is to break your Dark Ring."

"It's a trick!" exclaimed Togamon, "it has to be!"

"How else did I know about the Emperor's planned invasion?" asked George, as blood trickled down his lips.

As Togamon pondered this development, the Digidestined convoy arrived.

"Croc Missiles!"

Two crocodile shaped missiles launched out of secret compartments within MetalCrocmon's armor. They landed between George and Togamon and exploded.

"Yeehaw!" yelled past George, as he and MetalCrocmon dove down into the confused enemy forces.

Digmon burst out of the ground near the Control Spire.

"Gold Rush!"

As Digmon's drills flew towards the Spire, a Sepikmon knocked them off course with his boomerang.

"Fire Rocket!"

Flamedramon blasted several Allomon and Kiwimon with his flaming torpedoes, but Togamon snuck up behind him, and sucker punched the bipedal lizard.

"Oof," said Flamedramon as he dedigivolved into Veemon.

"That cactus punches hard," said Veemon.

"Hey!" exclaimed Davis, "that's not fair!"

Past George placed a hand on Davis's shoulder.

"Sit back and let the professionals handle this," he said smugly.

As Halsemon, Pegasusmon, Nefertimon, and Sobekmon joined in the fray; Togamon took control of her confused forces and fought back. All the while George Helltower was caught in the crossfire.

"Hey!" he exclaimed, "a little help here!"

Sobekmon dashed forward to free George with Halsemon covering him, but a pair of Yanmamon intercepted the gryphon before Sobekmon could complete his task, and Togamon's forces were beginning to overwhelm the Digidestined, despite past George's best efforts.

"Shit!" exclaimed past Helltower, "there're too many of them…"

As the enslaved horde began to take back the clearing, Sobekmon cut down the tree George was stuck too, and grabbed his digivice and sunglasses from a nearby rock where Togamon had placed them. (After all, she wouldn't want George to have such dangerous devices while interrogating him…)

Digmon was struck down by a pair of Allomon, and Pegasusmon and Nefertimon were taken out by a barrage of boomerangs courtesy of the Sepikmon, which just left past George and MetalCrocmon fighting.

"It's time to retreat," grunted Sobekmon, "we got what we came for."

"Warriors of Power never retreat!" exclaimed past George, as he backhanded a Sepikmon's boomerang with ease.

"We're being overwhelmed!" exclaimed TK, "we have to retreat!"

"Do what you want," said the oldest gogglehead, "but we're staying here."

"I'm afraid I can't allow that," said the other George Helltower, as Sobekmon pulled the last needle out of the tree's bark, "you see, if you die here, I won't exist, and that would be a little problem."

"If you were truly me, you'd know I can't die!" exclaimed past Helltower.

"Ah," said present George, "but since I really am you, I know that you know that's not quite true, and this is a situation where it is highly likely you will die."

Past Helltower spat at the feet of his present counterpart.

"I dunno what the hell happened to me," he said, "but I've gotten pathetic!"

"No you haven't," sighed present Helltower, "you've gotten smarter."

As past Helltower was about to retort, present Helltower took five shaky steps forward, and pinched a certain nerve cluster at the base of his past counterpart's neck.

"You've also perfected the Vulcan neck pinch," he said as his counterpart dropped into unconsciousness. (A/N: I do not own Star Trek)

As Sobekmon hoisted both Georges onto MetalCrocmon's back, present George signaled the retreat, and the Digidestined pulled back.

As usual, the Emperor wasn't happy. He was supposed to have had reinforcements from the past arrive five minutes ago to help him reconquer the tundra territories, but they had yet to arrive. From his position on an icy cliff overlooking the battle below, the Emperor flicked a button on his control panel and called Togamon. A hologram of the giant cactus appeared in front of him.

"What's going on Togamon?" demanded the Emperor, "where are those reinforcements I ordered?"

"We've had some…difficulties Master," apologized the cactus.

"Explain," ordered the Emperor, "and it had better be a good excuse or else I'll delete you personally!"

"There are two of him!" blurted the cactus.

"Two of who?" demanded the Emperor.

"Two Georges," elaborated Togamon, "and one of them claims to have planted a program in my Dark Ring that makes me tell him anything he wants to know!"

"That's preposterous!" exclaimed the Emperor, "he just said that so that you'd break your Ring!"

"Yes Master, but what should we do?" asked Togamon, "with two Georges it will be dangerous to leave this sector undefended, so we can't give you reinforcements."

"Hmmm," mused the Emperor, "if I have you kill the George indigenous to that time period, he would cease to exist in this one."

The tyrant appeared to consider this new idea for a little while, but eventually dismissed it with a shake of his head.

"Unfortunately," he sighed, "eliminating Helltower then would also prevent me from taking what is truly mine."

The Emperor thought for a few more minutes before coming to a decision.

"Togamon," he ordered, "you are to move all available forces through the Citadel of Time. Set traps within the ruins for the Digidestined, who will be sure to attempt to follow you. Make sure they cannot make it out of the ruins!"

"But sir, what about your Spire here?" asked Togamon, "if we leave it will surely be destroyed!"

"Controlling the past is not important to me," said the Emperor, "the only thing that concerns me is controlling the present. I may not be able to kill past Helltower, but I can trap his contemporary counterpart in the past. Then there will be no one who can stop me!"

"I understand sir!" said Togamon saluting, "we're on our way!"

The transmission went dead.

"Would you mind being a little gentler?" asked George wincing, "I kind of have a few broken ribs here…"

"It's amazing you can move at all in your condition," said Izzy nodding.

The other Digidestined were trying to put some distance between themselves and the Spire. TK and Davis were supporting the battered Helltower, while Sobekmon was carrying the comatose one slung over his metallic shoulder.

A few minutes later, they arrived in a clearing and, at present George's insistence; they stopped there for a break.

"I've never seen him so beaten up before," whispered TK to Kari, "it's a little unnerving that the Emperor's minions can do that to someone of his caliber."

"He'll be alright," said Kari reassuringly although she herself wasn't entirely sure she believed what she was saying.

Eventually, past George (who had been deposited against one of the trees) woke up, and he was cranky. He stomped over to his present counterpart, who was having his ribs bandaged by Izzy and Mimi.

"It's a good thing I remembered to bring bandages," Mimi was saying, "that's something I learned from Joe while we were separated from the rest of the group during the Dark Masters' reign of terror."

Past George unceremoniously pushed aside the two Odaiba Digidestined and confronted his counterpart.

"Is there a problem?" asked present George, who stood up unsteadily, and leaned on a makeshift walking stick for support.

"You bet there's a problem," said past George, "it's you! Who do you think you are pulling me out of battle like that?"

"As I said before," sighed present George, "your survival is of the utmost importance to me. I can't have you traipsing around the Digital World fighting battles with insurmountable odds!"

"Isn't that what you did?" asked his past counterpart heatedly.

"Yes," replied present George, "and take a good look at what happened to me."

Past George opened his mouth, but decided better. He stood fidgeting with his goggles for a few moments before his present counterpart continued.

"The only reason I am still alive is because they needed to extract information from me," he said, "information which I refused to give them."

"You withstood torture?" asked past George incredulously, "man, I am amazing!"

"Listen to me," said present George, "that evil tower does more than allow the tyrant to control the Dark Rings; it also drains the power of those who are not under his control. That's why in the present it is impossible for us to digivolve normally, which is why we use Armor digivolution."

"But I could make Crocmon digivolve normally," answered past George stiffly, "so I must be exempt from the power drain."

"You're not," said George, "you just haven't been exposed to it as long as the rest of us have."

In the back of his mind, present Helltower was wondering if what he said was truly accurate, or if he was just trying to justify a fault of his own with the actions of another.

"I'll prove it," continued present George, "try Slide digivolving and see what happens."

"Alright," said past George confidently.

He stood in place for a few moments, a look of concentration passed over his features. After a few seconds, when nothing happened, his expression changed to one of pained strain. Still nothing happened, and past Helltower opened his eyes.

"We have to destroy that tower immediately!" he said as he began a heated charge towards the clearing with the offending tower.

"Not so fast junior," said present George grabbing his past counterpart on the shoulder, "it bothers me that they haven't come after us. Clearly they're up to something."

"At least one of them uses his head," whispered Cody to Yolei.

"HEY!" shouted the two Georges, "WE HEARD THAT!"

Yolei was in super fan girl mode.

"Two Georges," she thought dreamily, "two gorgeous hunks of programming genii…eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

"…uh Yolei?" asked Davis, waving a hand in front of her face, "I think we lost her."

"I'll handle this," said Cody, as he gave Yolei a pinch.

That snapped her back into reality.

"What'd you do that for Cody?" demanded the lavender haired girl.

"We're kind of in the middle of a crisis here," said the 4th grader unapologetically.

"I suggest we scout out the clearing before we decide whether or not to directly reengage our adversaries," suggested Izzy.

Present George nodded, but winced in pain.

"You're not going anywhere buster!" said Mimi sternly, "you're staying here and resting up. I'll stay with you! It's the least I can do since it was my partner that did this to you."

Present George shook his head.

"You stay with the others. They'll be able to help you," he said, "don't worry about me. I've got a plan."

"Alright, but holler if you need anything!" said Mimi cheerfully.

"Hold it!" demanded Cody, "we are not just going to leave him here like this! It was irresponsible of us to have abandoned him in the first place and now we have to make sure nothing else will happen to him!"

Present George raised his hands in protest.

"If it'll make you feel any better Sobekmon will stay with me, but that's it," he said, "you'll need as much firepower as you can get to defeat our adversaries."

Cody looked uneasy, but TK put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"George knows what he's doing," said the hatted Digidestined, "we need to trust him."

Finally, the 4th grader nodded, and turned to leave with the others, but past George looked back for a parting remark.

"The nearest portal is roughly six miles due northwest," he said.

Present George nodded, and his past counterpart continued towards the clearing with the others.

The Emperor was waiting at the other side of the Citadel's ruins as his army, led by Togamon, emerged. In preparation for their arrival, he'd built a Control Spire on this side of the jungle as well.

"Excellent!" said the Emperor sinisterly, "now I shall conquer the Digital World and nobody will be able to stop me!"

Wormmon stood silently by the Emperor's side, peering anxiously into the depths of the Citadel's ruins as though hoping someone else would emerge.

"Alright troops, move out!" ordered the Emperor, and they were off.

"Are you sure this will work?" asked Sobekmon as he carefully flew George in the direction indicated by his past counterpart, "I thought you destroyed all the DigiPorts to Upload Island except the one in your personal laptop."

"I did," said George, "or more accurately in this time period, I will."

"Ah yes," said Sobekmon, as the duo continued their journey.

"Almost there," said past George.

He was leading the Digidestined as they crept stealthily towards the clearing. Unfortunately for the newer Digidestined, this particular George was used to leading an army, not a bunch of kids, so they were tired due to the pace they'd been forced to march at.

"You know," grumbled Davis, "despite being slightly crazier, I think I prefer our George to this one."

Cody agreed.

"This one has not yet learned discipline, and he still has our George's drinking problem!" he added.

The others glanced at past George who was taking out a can of beer. Past George downed it in one gulp, and pulled out another.

"Correction," said TK as they observed him drink three more beers in this manner, "our George has learned restraint, this George is the one with the problem…"

"From what he's told me about his past this was one of the most crucial periods in his psychological development," said Izzy, "fighting Milleniummon taught him a great deal of things about himself and his own mortality. This George has just found out he is nearly invincible, so he isn't as cautious and hasn't learned restraint yet…it also doesn't help that this George hasn't seen humans in at least a thousand years."

"If you're through chit chatting about how that weakling is better than me, I'd suggest we get a move on!" said past George surprising everyone.

"Sir yes sir!" said the Digidestined unenthusiastically as they continued towards the clearing.

Present George and Sobekmon materialized on Upload Island not too far from Gargantuan Mountain.

"This would be the original design," said George to himself as he walked over to the door carved into the mountain, "which means what I'm looking for is on the floor labeled 4."

As George deactivated the alarms he and Sobekmon wandered into their old home (before it was destroyed during George's battle with the Dark Masters) and over to the elevator on the other side of the hall.

The elevator deposited them on the forth floor, which was mostly unoccupied except for a pinball machine and a TV. George crossed the room to a door labeled "Authorized Personnel Only" and held out his Crest to be scanned. Instantly the door opened and George entered. A few flashes of light later, he emerged, significantly less injured, but still not fully back to normal.

"It's the best I can do in such time constraints," he said, "I'll fully heal up after this adventure is over."

"Understood," said Sobekmon, as the two prepared to rejoin the others.

"I don't understand this!" said past George completely flustered, "where the hell are they?"

The clearing was completely empty except for the Spire.

"A few moments ago, they were desperate to defend it, and now they're gone," said Izzy, "it makes no sense!"

"Well," said past George pulling out his digivice, "I'm going to destroy it!"

"No!"

Everyone turned their heads in shock at Davis, who was the source of the outcry.

"As our version of you would say, this smells like a trap," said the youngest gogglehead.

"He's right," said present George casually as he and Sobekmon landed nearby, "and for me to agree with Davis over myself is certainly astounding. Well done Mr. Motamiya!"

Davis grinned proudly.

"Your injuries," said Izzy pointing, "they appear to have healed faster than one would expect."

"I told you I knew what I was doing," said George.

"I suppose that's true," thought Cody, "this version of him appears to be more of a 'big picture' kind of person than his past counterpart…"

"Well," demanded past George, "how're we going to destroy that tower if the clearing is booby trapped?"

"We spring the trap with a trap of our own," said present George.

Five more squares on the map turned black.

"Excellent!" sneered the Emperor, "as I expected nobody here is capable of resisting me!"

After having retaken the tundra sectors he'd lost the day before, the Emperor decided he'd enjoy watching the take over from the comforts of home. Thus he was sitting on his throne in the control room of his secret base observing as more and more sectors of the Digital World came under his influence. First a Spire would pop up, and then his army would follow. Those who resisted got deleted on sight. No mercy.

"At this rate the Digital World will be mine in just a few more minutes," scoffed the Emperor.

Nearby, Wormmon was watching the Emperor with sad eyes.

"Ken," he thought, "what have you done?"

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" asked Davis, as past George tried to push him into the clearing.

"Yes I'm sure," said past George, "if there's an ambush, we'll get the drop on it, and if there's a land mine or other such trap, we'll know they've left the area."

"But if there's a landmine, won't I trip it?" asked Davis.

"So?" demanded the goggleheaded George, "that's what you get for being smarter than me!"

"Hold on there!" said present George, "I've got a better idea. Why doesn't an aerial digimon fly into the clearing? That way, no landmines can get tripped."

The others nodded, and Halsemon was chosen to test out the area. Taking a deep breath, the gryphon flew into the clearing…nothing happened.

"Alright!" exclaimed past George, "smooth sailing!"

With that, he took off, pushed past Halsemon, and charged the Control Spire.

"Stand back!" yelled present George as his past self charged up massive energy blasts in his hands.

The Digidestined and their partners scrambled for safety as past George released the blasts.

"Data Bomb!"

The energy blasts collided with the Control Spire and tore it to shreds. The chunks fell from the air and landed in the clearing.

"Shit," said both Georges as the first piece of debris touched the ground.

BOOM!

The jungle was rocked by the explosion of the submerged landmines that had been planted in the clearing.

"That's it!" exclaimed the Emperor in triumph as the last sector, the heart of Upload Island, turned black, "I've finally done it! The Digital World is mine!"

As the Digidestined strained to see what had happened, the smoke began to clear, revealing that present George had dive tackled his past counterpart to the other side of the clearing before the explosions could harm him.

"I told you it's a problem for me if you die here!" said present George thwacking his past counterpart, "so stop being so reckless!"

"Y-y-you just saved my life," said past George, "if I had died and reformed as an egg, the explosions would have incinerated it…"

"Do try to be a little more careful," said present George, "and believe me when I tell you that I have only your best interests in mind."

As past George lied in shock, present George rejoined his companions on the other side of the crater that had formerly been the clearing.

"A lot of things don't add up," he said, "for one, not only are the enslaved digimon gone, but that trap they left by the Spire would have blown it as well as us up if we hadn't been more careful…"

"Which logically means that defending the Spire wasn't their goal," continued Izzy, "but rather our destruction was. They knew we'd come back here to destroy the Spire, so they planted traps to kill us, even at the cost of the Spire."

"Logically," said George picking up the train of thought once more, "that means that the Spire had fulfilled its purpose, which means…"

As the severity of the situation dawned upon the fallen warrior, his eyes widened in shock that he had actually been outmaneuvered by the Digimon Emperor.

"The Emperor has had his army of enslaved digimon from the past meet up with him in the present, and has thus begun taking over the Digital World at an even faster rate," he concluded.

"Then we don't have any time to lose," said past Helltower as he rejoined the group, "let's go back the way you came and kick this punks butt once and for all!"

"Who said you're coming with us?" demanded Davis; he'd had enough of this particular George.

"You should remain in your own time period," said Izzy, "your departure could change history!"

"…I'm going to agree with my past self here," said present George, "history has already been changed by the Emperor, and we're going to need all the help we can get. He can come with us…as long as he behaves himself."

"Yes!" said past George childishly.

"To save time, I suggest that this time we fly towards the ruins," said present George.

"…wait, you mean those strange ruins in the center of the jungle are how you got here?" asked past George, "but that's preposterous!"

"Is it?" asked present George as he and the aerial digimon took off towards the ruins of the Citadel of Time.

Grumbling about the ridiculousness of time travel, past George followed.

A few moments later, they were outside the Citadel's ruins. Cautiously, present George entered. Seeing no traps, he beckoned the other Digidestined to follow him and they once again entered the labyrinth in the Citadel's catacombs.

After a few hours of walking, past George began complaining about how they were probably just walking in circles.

"This is a waste of time!" he exclaimed, "if our adversaries went in here, they likely never left!"

"Fine," said present George, "if you're so miserable, just go back to your own time period!"

"…I don't know which way the exit is," said past George sheepishly.

After another ten minutes or so of walking, the signs of the Resistance's occupation became visible once again indicating they were approaching the staircase that led to George's secret stash of beer. The younger Digidestined were beginning to lag due to their smaller legs.

"Can we take a break?" asked Cody, who was the shortest member of the Digidestined, "my legs are getting really tired."

"We'll take a break once we ascend the stairs," said present George, turning his head back to answer the query.

Because he wasn't looking where he was going, he failed to notice the little red light nestled in the shadows of the ceiling.

A small explosion caused the ceiling to come tumbling down on the unaware Digidestined.

Tai and Sora had returned from soccer practice. The coach had been so happy to see Tai 'back in the game' that he'd extended practice to three hours. To their surprise however, the Digidestined had not yet returned from their trip to the Digital World.

"That's weird," said Tai, "I wonder what could be keeping them."

"Their parents must be getting worried," said Sora, "we need to contact the others and tell them to make up cover stories for their parents."

"Agreed," said Tai, "I'll head to the computer room to send out an email asking George what's going on."

As Tai dashed to the computer room, Sora called Joe and Matt and told them to cover for the younger Digidestined. As she hung up with Matt, Tai came running back, nearly out of breath.

"Did you get a response?" asked Sora.

"I didn't have to," said Tai panting, "C'mon you've got to see this!"

As Sora entered the computer lab, she saw that the Digital World Map program was still open on one of the monitors. The squares were all black.

"What the?" she said.

The explosion had caused a cave in, but fortunately digimon had reacted in time to save their partners. Both Georges, Izzy, and Mimi stood on one side of the debris wall, while TK, Kari, and the rest of the younger Digidestined were safely on the other side of the wall.

"What do we do now?" coughed Yolei.

"Let's take out this wall," said Armadillomon, "and I know just the guy to do it, Digmon!"

"Not a good idea," said Izzy, "that could cause an even worse cave in."

"Are there any other ways out of here?" asked TK.

After a few moments of pondering, present George sighed.

"I'm afraid not," he said sadly, "as I said earlier, the only other path out had already collapsed centuries ago."

"Well," reasoned Cody, "if we're coming from the past, and the past was millennia before our present, then the other path shouldn't have collapsed yet."

"Yes," said present George, "but no doubt you've noticed the returning of the Resistance's influence which means we've already passed into our own time, so the path is collapsed…the best I can do for you is tell you how to get back out into the past."

"How're we going to help you from there?" asked Davis.

"You're not," sighed present George, "once again you'll just have to trust that I'll come back for you."

"I understand George," said Cody, "I trust you."

"Good," he said, "then at every intersection look for the path with the little smiley face marking. That should get you back out to the past."

"See y'all soon!" said Armadillomon, as he and the others bade farewell to their companions and headed back into the past.

Present George sighed.

"Onward," he said turning back towards the staircase.

"So you see," said Joe nervously, "Yolei, Cody, and TK haven't returned yet because George is treating the computer club to lunch."

Mrs. Inoue stared at the sweaty blue haired teen standing in front of her. Before she could protest though, he waved and ran off.

"and that's where Davis is right now," said Matt.

"You're lying," said Jun, who had answered the door, "I can tell because people always blink a lot when they're lying."

"Huh wha-?" mumbled Matt blinking three times.

Jun chuckled; here was the opportunity of a lifetime!

"I promise I won't tell my parents you're lying if you take me out on a date this Friday," she said cunningly.

"Bu-" began Matt.

"Great!" said Jun excitedly, "you can pick me up at seven!"

"Huh?" said Matt as the Motamiya's front door was slammed in his face.

After taking a quick stop to grab some libations from George's secret stash ("I never know when the next time I'll be in here is," George had said), the four Digidestined and two Crocmon emerged into the present. They blinked as their eyes became accustomed to the sunlight.

The first thing they noticed was the Control Spire.

"Great," said past George sarcastically, "the ruins didn't take us into the future at all, they only succeeded in keeping us occupied while that moron tyrant managed to build yet another one of his towers. No wonder he destroyed the first. He knew you'd be stupid enough to try and—"

"ENOUGH!" yelled present George, "believe it or not, we are actually thousands of years later than when we started, and we have to assume that the Emperor has already claimed most, if not all, of the Digital World."

"So what should we do?" asked Mimi.

"I suggest we find a portal and go back to the real world," said present George, "that way, we can scope out the situation from a bird's eye view using the map."

"Wait!" exclaimed past George, "are you mad? We can't go back into the real world! Our data components will blur and pixilated becoming completely useless!"

"On the contrary," said present George, "after your reboot into this body, the data components were upgraded to be compatible in the real world, so it's not a problem."

Past George looked a little queasy about the idea of going back to the real world, but nodded all the same.

The procession slowly made its way through the jungle, avoiding all of the main paths and clearings so as not to be spotted. All around them they could here the sounds of digimon moving, slithering, eating, and many other things. Occasionally, they would see a glint of glowing red eyes, but luckily none of them lingered on the Digidestined for too long.

"We're lucky," whispered Izzy, "the Emperor probably thinks he's trapped us in the past, so his security isn't as tight as it should be."

"True," said present George, "but you can be sure that at the first sign of resistance the Emperor will tighten security, so for now we need to lay low."

As the Digidestined approached the portal, they found, to their relief, it was still operational. ("Of course," said present George, "the Emperor needs to get around in the Digital World too you know!") However, it was being guarded by two familiar digimon.

"Oh no!" whispered Izzy, eying the first guard, "Kabuterimon…"

"Togamon," sobbed Mimi, looking at the second guard.

"Obviously the Emperor isn't taking any chances of us escaping," said present George, "we need a distraction."

"You thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?" asked past George.

"Let's pull a 'Caesarmon' on them," said present George smirking.

Both Georges picked up big rocks and moved to the other side of the clearing. A few moments later, they returned. Seemingly nothing had happened.

"ummm," said Izzy, "what's a 'Caesarmon'?"

"Back when we were fighting Caesarmon, one of his favorite strategies was to rig the field in his favor by laying traps involving flying boulders," replied past George.

"So we figured we'd take a page from his book and do the same," finished present George, pointing into the clearing.

A few seconds later, the boulders flew out of the foliage and struck the unwary guards.

"Hey!" shouted Togamon.

"What was that?" buzzed Kabuterimon.

"I don't know," replied the cactus, "but whoever did that is going to get it!"

The two digimon stomped off to the other side of the clearing.

"Go!" hissed present George, as he and his past counterpart gave each other a congratulatory 'high five'.

The Digidestined rushed to the portal and opened it. The light faded just as the guards returned.

"It must've been one of those annoying Sepikmon," grumbled Togamon.

The Digidestined popped out of the school's computer, Mimi, Izzy, and past George and Crocmon in a tangled pile while present George and Crocmon were a half a foot away.

"How'd you do that?" demanded past George.

"Trade secret," replied his present counterpart, "you'll figure it out someday."

As the others untangled themselves, they heard the sound of several people rushing towards the computer lab. Present George glanced at his digivice.

"I figured," he said, as Tai, Sora, Matt, and Joe burst into the room and stopped cold.

"There you guys are!" exclaimed Tai, "…but where're Kari and the others?"

"and why are there two Georges?" asked Sora.

"It's a long story," said present George, "but first, what's been going on here?"

"We've given cover stories for the new Digidestined, but if they don't get home soon, their parents will become suspicious," said Joe.

"Now would you mind explaining why the whole Digital World has gone black?" demanded Matt.

"The whole Digital World?" asked present George turning severely pale.

"Yeah," said Matt, "you've been gone nearly three and a half hours, and yet the Digimon Emperor has still managed to take over the entire Digital World. You've been slacking off!"

"It's not our fault!" exclaimed past George, "…or at least not my fault anyway. I don't even belong here!"

"As I recall," said Mimi, "you requested to come along with us Mr. Hotshot!"

"Just calm down, and tell us what happened," said Sora reassuringly.

As present George sat moping in a corner drinking his secret beer, Izzy and Mimi explained the day's events to the other four Odaiba Digidestined.

"…and so we've only just returned from the past," finished Izzy.

"That's a little difficult to believe," said Matt.

"Do you not see two Georges?" asked Izzy, "that ought to be proof enough."

"…so what you're saying then is that the others are trapped in the past?" asked Tai, approaching present George.

The fallen warrior nodded, and Tai grabbed him by the front of his shirt.

"YOU TRAPPED MY SISTER IN THE PAST?" yelled the gogglehead.

Another feeble nod.

Before anyone could stop him, Tai punched the former gogglehead right in the face.

"Tai!" exclaimed Sora, "he did all he could!"

"He should've done better!" said Tai angrily.

As present George continued to mope in the corner, the other Digidestined began bickering and arguing.

"ENOUGH!" yelled past George, surprising everyone, "even I know that this is no time for us to be fighting. We need to devise a strategy to take down this Emperor!"

"He's right," said present George, standing firm once again, "and I think I know where to start…"

Present George walked over to the computer and began typing.

"What's he up to?" asked Izzy.

"How the heck would I know?" asked past George, "this guy's a mystery to me…"

After a few more minutes of typing, present George pulled back and cracked his knuckles.

"It took some doing," he said, "but I finally managed to reactivate one of the DigiPorts on Upload Island."

"Why's that important?" asked Tai.

Past George's eyes widened.

"We're going home," he said.

"I'd advise the rest of you to stay here," said present George, "without your partners things could get too dangerous. At least here you're safe."

"Forget it!" said Tai, "we're a team!"

"How could we even think about staying here when the Digital World is in danger?" asked Matt.

"We can't afford to split up now," said Izzy, "not when the forces of darkness are right on our doorstep."

"You can't get rid of me that easily," said Mimi.

"Well," said Joe looking around, "I'm certainly not staying here all by myself, so count me in."

"Alright," said George, "but there are a few things we'll need first."

Present George dashed out of the computer lab, and reappeared moments later with his trench coat.

"…you went all the way back to Izzy's house for your coat?" asked Tai.

George began rummaging around within the coat and pulled out a sword the same as his past counterpart's. He also pulled out a pair of revolvers, a shotgun, and an assault rifle.

"Whoa," said Matt, "what's with the heavy artillery?"

"Precautions," said present George, "so that you are not defenseless against the Emperor's minions."

George handed a revolver to Sora and the other to Mimi, Matt got the shotgun, and Tai got the assault rifle.

"Don't worry;" said the fallen warrior, "they're Granitemon design, which means they shoot lasers instead of bullets. Think of them as phasers." (A/N: 4Kids'd!)

"What about us?" asked Joe indicating him and Izzy.

George gave Joe his trench coat and Izzy his sunglasses.

"The trench coat is a very flexible, but durable armor, and the sunglasses have various functions including a pen-laser and x-ray, infrared, and night vision," explained present George.

"If we're done with the preparations, let's get this party started!" exclaimed past George as he held his digivice up to the computer screen.

One bright flash of light later, they were gone.

"I wonder what's happening in the future," sighed TK, he hated being so helpless at a time as crucial as this.

"Forget that!" exclaimed Davis, "I'm wondering what we're going to have for lunch. I'm starving!"

"He has a point," said Cody, "we should find a source of food because it may be a while before George can return us to the present."

The youngest Digidestined nodded and began to search for food.

"Home sweet home!" exclaimed present George as he walked up to the familiar door.

"It's nice to know that this place is still around even in the future," said past George.

The portal, after an especially rough ride, had dropped the Digidestined right by the mountain, so they managed to sneak up to George's front door without being noticed.

"How come there were no guards by this portal?" asked Izzy, "the Emperor seemed mighty eager to guard the other ones."

"This one technically doesn't work, so the Emperor didn't bother to defend it I suppose," replied present George, disarming the security alarms.

Within moments, the Digidestined were in the hallway leading to the elevator.

Present George pushed the button labeled 'C'.

"Hey," asked past George, "what's with the letter coded floors?"

"A security measure," replied present George, "assuming someone got this far, they'd see the letters and assume the floors are in alphabetical order. They're not. This gives me yet another advantage when dealing with intruders."

"Paranoid much?" asked past George, and then the doors opened.

"I've been expecting you Mr. Helltower," drawled the Emperor lazily, as he sat in the main chair at the far end of the hall, "and look, you brought friends too."

"…I guess you're not paranoid enough," said past George, "who's the short guy?"

"That would be the Digimon Emperor," said present George.

Past George burst out laughing.

"and here I thought this Emperor guy would actually be a threat," he scoffed.

Past George unsheathed his sword and charged headlong down the corridor.

"Wait!" called his present counterpart, but it was too late.

The Emperor seemed to withdraw his whip from thin air. He cracked it at the feet of the oncoming Helltower causing the Warrior of Power to trip and crash into the wall.

"Olé!" exclaimed the Emperor, smirking.

Present George was considerably more cautious in his approached. He unsheathed his sword, but remained out of the whip's striking distance.

"It's not much fun when you play so defensively," said the Emperor, "I suppose that, once again, it's up to me to liven things up around here."

The tyrant snapped his fingers, which summoned a bunch of Gizamon, Gazimon, Geckomon, Gotsumon, Elecmon, and Otamamon. Although most of them were Rookie level digimon, their sheer numbers were a force to be reckoned with, especially since MetalCrocmon and Sobekmon would be unable to fight effectively in the control room.

"Checkmate!" scoffed the Emperor, "once I've dealt with you, nothing will stand in my way of ruling the Digital World!"

Pure hatred filled the Emperor's features as he uttered his next command.

"Restrain Mr. Helltower while I kill his companions. I want him to suffer for what he did to me!" ordered the Emperor.

The slaves hesitated for a moment trying to figure out which Helltower the Emperor was referring to.

"The one without the goggles you worthless idiots!" barked the Emperor, but it was too late, the slaves' hesitation bought present Helltower enough time to devise a plan. It was a rather risky plan, but it was all they had at this point.

As the enslaved mass lurched towards him, present Helltower flew upwards and dive bombed the Emperor, causing him to dodge away from George's personal laptop. The fallen warrior held his digivice in front of the computer, seemingly to open a DigiPort, but instead a glowing orb came out of the monitor, dazzling everyone with its brightness.

As soon as it was fully emerged, present Helltower grabbed it, and was instantly enveloped in a bright beam of light. All of the Dark Rings were instantly shattered in the presence of this overwhelming source of power, and the Emperor began to feel a massive burning sensation in the nape of his neck. So great was the pain, that, with a wild shriek of agony, the Emperor jumped out of the window to the control room, and was swept up by an awaiting Airdramon.

"This isn't finished yet Helltower! I will be back soon!" he threatened.

When the light died down, George Helltower stood before them a new man. His outfit was a pure white oxford with white pants, his hair had become a radiant white color, he wore a white cape with golden runes spiraling along the edges, and his eyes had turned into a piercing golden color. His sword had lengthened and narrowed and also gained seven golden runes along the hilt and blade. These particular runes symbolized the seven components of power, which contributed to George's Crest. White gloves covered his hands, and white boots went up to his shins. The Crest of Power glowed brightly once more.

"Whoa," said past Helltower, who'd finally regained his senses, "what happened to you?"

"I am George Helltower Sovereign mode," said the being in an angelic voice, "I used the power of the DigiCores to once again achieve the form granted to me by the late Griffinmon, former leader of the Harmonious Ones who protect this world from evil."

"…sweet," said past Helltower, "I can't wait to be able to do that!"

"The Emperor will not be gone for long," said the honorary Sovereign, "and he will return with greater numbers and strength."

"Well what should we do?" asked Tai.

"What I am about to do is…unadvisable to say the least, but in my opinion it is the only choice we have," replied the holy being as he began glowing brightly.

Everyone had to shut their eyes to his brilliant radiance, and when they opened them, they, Digimon and Digidestined, were all standing on the shores of an unfamiliar Island. A massive structure loomed in front of them with tall spires and turrets. Stain glass windows depicting ancient battles were on every floor. The building appeared to be very old, but at the same time immaculately taken care of. The recently freed digimon gaped in open shock.

"The Temple of the Sovereigns," gasped one of the Gotsumon.

"We are not worthy," said a Gazimon.

"What is this place?" asked past George.

"The Island Forgotten by Time," replied a deep and wise voice, "and you are not welcome here."

The Digidestined glanced towards the source of the voice. A massive serpentine blue dragon hovered before them. Chains were wrapped around his massive form, but more so decoratively than restrictively. Located around the dragons four talons were three blue orbs each, adding up to twelve orbs. His face was blue with yellow stripes. A jagged ice blue horn emerged from his forehead, and his four eyes gazed down upon the newcomers. Sovereign George stepped forwards.

"It's alright Azulongmon," he said, "they are with me. They come seeking refuge from the Digimon Emperor."

"Helltower?" said Azulongmon, "you are not supposed to permit anyone who is not a Sovereign, or honorary Sovereign, onto this Island, let alone bring them here!"

"There is no where else to go!" exclaimed Sovereign Helltower, "the rest of the Digital World has been taken over by the Digimon Emperor."

"Save it for the Tribunal," said Azulongmon sadly.

Sovereign George nodded sadly and walked towards the temple.

"You guys stay here," he said.

His past counterpart ran over to him and walked beside him towards the temple.

"I'm not going to let you take the blame," he said, "because after all, I'm you, and if you're guilty then so am I."

"I don't think that's quite how it works," said Sovereign George, "but I appreciate the gesture."

The Emperor had returned to Gargantuan Mountain bringing with him his most elite forces including the partners of the Odaiba Digidestined and many other Champion digimon (even a few Ultimates), but he found that Helltower's home was abandoned.

"Where'd they go?" he exclaimed, "spread out and find them! They can't have gone far!"

The Emperor's minions scattered across the Island.

Sovereign Helltower stood in the center of a massive chamber surrounded by the four Harmonious ones.

Towards the north stood a massive two headed turtle whose shell was a massive tree. Surrounding the tree were twelve yellow orbs. Each of the turtle's heads was covered in black wooden-like armor. His scales were tan, and his underbelly was white. He was Ebonwumon, the Black Tortoise of the North, and the eldest living Sovereign.

To the south perched a massive red bird. A flame pattern was displayed on his wings and to a lesser extent down his spine and onto his tail. He had four wings on his back, a pair of larger wings and a pair of smaller wings, and two smaller sets of wing-like appendages that doubled as his talons. The plumage on his neck was black. His head was yellow, but it was covered in a red mask. Six red orbs encircled both his neck and tail for a grand total to twelve orbs. His four red eyes glanced down at the human-digimon hybrid below him. He was Zhuqiaomon, the Vermillion Bird of the South.

To the east floated Azulongmon, the Azure Dragon of the East.

Opposite of Azulongmon crouched and enormous white tiger with blue stripes. He wore spiked collars around his back legs, while his front legs were protected by blue metallic armor displaying kanji. There was a ring of spikes around his tail, and several spikes on his upper back. His face was covered in a blue mask that revealed the beast's mouth and came to long sharp points at each end of his jaw. Encircling his body were twelve white orbs. His four red eyes lingered on George curiously. He was Baihumon, the White Tiger of the West, the youngest living Sovereign, and the successor of Griffinmon.

Lingering near the entrance of the chamber were past George and the two Crocmons.

"George Helltower," Azulongmon was saying, "the charges against you are as follows: that you did knowingly and willingly bring non-Sovereigns to this island, that you did knowingly and willingly abuse the power given to you by the late Griffinmon, and that you have knowingly and willingly interfered with the timeline by bringing your past counterpart to our time period. How do you plead?"

"Guilty," said George, holding his head high.

"Can you defend your actions before this Tribunal?" inquired Baihumon.

"In my opinion there was nowhere else to turn to," replied George, "the Digimon Emperor has tampered with time such that he has taken over the rest of the Digital World. If we had gone anywhere else, the Emperor would have found and eradicated the others by now. He has captured and enslaved their partners making them practically helpless in the Digital World."

"Then why did you permit them to enter it after the Emperor had conquered it in the first place," interrupted Zhuqiaomon, "you must have known it wouldn't be safe for them here!"

"Let the laddie speak," said one of Ebonwumon's heads.

"To answer Zhuqiaomon's question," continued George, "it is not in my power to prevent Digidestined from traveling to the Digital World. If they were not supposed to be in the Digital World, why were they chosen in the first place?"

"A good point," said Baihumon, "but surely there are other locations within the Digital World that you could have stashed them while you came here, and you certainly didn't need to bring all of those other digimon either."

"On the contrary," countered the fallen warrior, "the second safest place in the Digital World was my home on Upload Island. That's where we went to start out with. I had hoped to be able to use my old surveillance systems to devise a plan to take out the Emperor's control on the island, but he was already there when we arrived."

"…you mean the Emperor managed to get past your security?" asked Ebonwumon's first head.

"Pathetic," snarled the other.

"Also," continued George, "if I had just left the recently freed digimon in my former home, they would have easily been recaptured, or even deleted by the Emperor. I decided that it would be preferable for that not to occur. After all, are not we Sovereigns supposed to protect the Digital World?"

"You know as well as I do that we are only supposed to interfere indirectly," snarled Zhuqiaomon, "and what you did and have been doing has clearly not been interfering 'indirectly'."

"Agreed," concurred present George, "however, if you'll recall, in this instance I was given express permission by this council to interfere directly in order to rectify a few of my mistakes."

"But nowhere did we give you permission to use the power of the DigiCores!" said Baihumon harshly.

"Yet you didn't tell me not to use them either," said George simply, "if that is to be the case, then it will have to take effect from today."

"Agreed," said Azulongmon, "but you have still interfered with the time line by allowing your past counterpart to accompany you to the present. What is your reasoning for this?"

"I had figured that it would be useful to have a little more firepower to fight the Emperor," said George, "he had already seen us and been corrupted by the Emperor's time traveling antics, so I decided it couldn't get any worse."

"That was not your decision to make," replied Zhuqiaomon, "and it certainly isn't good enough to justify your actions."

"Hold on a moment!" said past George charging into the chamber, "you can't blame him for my being here!"

"And why not?" asked Zhuqiaomon, "who are you to tell us what to do?"

"I'm George Samuel Helltower," replied past Helltower, "and I'm telling you that it's not his fault because I chose to come here on my own. I saw what the Emperor did in the past, and decided it was my responsibility to help the Digital World no matter where, or when, it was that happened to need my help. Also, since I'm technically not a Sovereign yet, I _can_ interfere directly to save the Digital World."

"Sassy McAngerpants has a point," conceded Ebonwumon's first head.

"He could have been a little more polite about it though," grumbled his second head.

"We shall deliberate the evidence before us," said Azulongmon, as the four Harmonious Ones vanished.

"You shouldn't have interrupted the Tribunal," said present Helltower.

"What, and let you get fried for something that was out of your control?" asked his past counterpart raising an eyebrow.

"I could have stopped you if I felt like it…" said present Helltower.

"How?" asked past Helltower, "the Vulcan neck pinch? I don't fall for the same tricks twice you know, and you couldn't risk killing me either."

As Sovereign Helltower began to reply, the Harmonious Ones reappeared.

"We've come to a verdict," said Azulongmon, "you are cleared of all charges."

"However," said Baihumon, "for future, you are not permitted to use the power of the DigiCores to interfere directly in the goings on of the Digital World. That power is either to be given to another, or to be used in an indirect manner to aid the Digital World."

"Agreed," said Sovereign Helltower, "thank you."

"Now then," said Ebonwumon's first head in it's Scottish accent, "if'n I know ya correctly, ya have some kinda plan fer dealin' with tha Emperor."

"So spit it out!" said the second head bluntly.

"And he called me rude," whispered past Helltower, as his present counterpart cleared his throat.

"As you, I'm sure, know, the newest Digidestined have been trapped in the past by the Digimon Emperor," began Sovereign George, "he has collapsed the only remaining passageway that leads through to the other side of the Citadel of Time, which may not be a bad thing except that it traps my past counterpart here, and the younger Digidestined there."

The Sovereigns nodded.

"What I suggest is that we deal with both of our main problems, namely the Emperor's control over the Digital World, and the temporal mix up, with one fell swoop," continued George.

Azulongmon understood where this was going.

"Oh no," he said, "time traveling to the past in order to correct mistakes is forbidden for a Sovereign."

"Granted," said George, "but the mistake being corrected here would not be mine. I wouldn't be whispering suggestions into my past self's ears. I will let him make the same mistakes I did, much as it pains me now, because that is the way it must be."

"Then what are you suggesting?" asked Baihumon.

"I suggest that my past counterpart and I travel back to the past just before the Emperor's arrival," proposed the former gogglehead, "that way we can stop him before any of this ever happened, and I wouldn't be correcting a mistake of mine since I had not yet known about his temporal invasion."

"We will consider your preposterous proposal," said Zhuqiaomon, as the Sovereigns disappeared once again to confer.

After a few more minutes, they reappeared.

"Your idea has been approved," grumbled the Vermillion Bird, "we shall begin preparations immediately, and the rest of your companions are to remain here while you are gone."

Present George nodded, as the Sovereigns began to release their power.

Each of their twelve DigiCores began to glow brightly as a time portal began to open.

"What do you mean you haven't been able to find them?" demanded the Emperor, "you haven't been trying hard enough!"

The Digidestined's partners stood before the maniacal tyrant with their heads hung low.

"But sir," began Greymon.

"I don't want your excuses, I want Helltower's head on a plate!" said the Emperor.

"They're not here sir," blurted Garurumon.

"Then you let them escape!" exclaimed the Emperor.

"No sir!" said Kabuterimon desperately.

"It's not our fault!" cried Birdramon.

"You have failed me," said the Emperor, "and you know the price of failure."

The Emperor typed a command on his control panel. Instantly, the Dark Rings began to emit electrical shocks to the six digimon standing before him.

"Please sir," said Togamon writhing in pain.

"Give us another chance!" begged Ikakkumon as his fur began to smoke.

"I'm sorry," said the Emperor casually, "I can't do that."

The tyrant pushed one final button, which caused the Odaiba Digidestined's partners so much pain that they were instantly deleted.

"A shame," said the Emperor nonchalantly, "they were decent servants…"

George and the Sovereigns sat in a meditation pose. With concentration as deep and profound as theirs, they were able to sense the very essence of the Digital World. At the moment it felt…wrong and tainted, but when six simultaneous deletions occurred, it felt like six lights going out, forever.

Sovereign George opened his eyes.

"No…" he said, "this can't be…"

"Unfortunately it can, and it has happened," said Azulongmon, "please inform your comrades. They have the right to know."

Sovereign George nodded solemnly and went outside the Temple, where the others were waiting, as he walked, he felt the power of the DigiCore drain out of him until he was his regular self again.

"What is it?" asked past George, who wasn't yet as attuned to the DigiWorld's essence, "what's going on?"

The Odaiba Digidestined looked up as the Georges approached.

"So?" asked Tai, "how'd it go? Are we allowed to stay here or what?"

"Yes," said the fallen warrior sadly, "but there is something you six must know."

"What?" asked Sora, not liking the feeling of overwhelming sadness emanating from George.

"While the Sovereigns and I were in meditation, we sensed the life-force of every being on the planet," began George, "six of those life-forces were suddenly terminated…"

"Get to the point already!" demanded Matt.

"Those life-forces belonged to your partners," said the former gogglehead, "they have been deleted by the Emperor."

"That son of a—" began Matt, but he was cut off by Joe.

"Admittedly that's not the best news we've heard," said the Child of Reliability, "but digimon get reborn, so are partners will too right?"

"Yes," said present George, "and normally they'd remember you too."

"Normally?" asked Izzy worriedly, George would not have said that if this wasn't an exception to the rule.

"You see, they were deleted while under the influence of the Emperor's Dark Rings," explained present George sadly, "the Dark Rings block the digimon's memory from reaching the surface making it a mindless slave of the Emperor. Since they were wearing the Dark Rings when they were deleted, it's a good bet their memories are gone."

"So they won't remember us at all?" asked Mimi.

"I'm afraid not," said present George, "I'm truly and deeply sorry."

"A fat lot of good your apology does us!" yelled Matt, "this is all your fault anyways! Why did you go back in time in the first place? You could have stayed here to fight the Emperor's army when it tried to come back through the Citadel!"

"That's illogical," said Izzy, "there were too many of them. George alone could not have fought them. This is nobody's fault but the Emperor's."

"That's right!" said past George, "and we're gonna get him!"

"How?" asked Joe.

"As we speak, the Sovereigns are preparing a time portal that will take us back to the moment when the Digimon Emperor tried to enter the past," replied present George.

"At that point, we will surprise attack him and prevent any of this from ever happening," finished past George.

"We're coming too," said Matt, "we can't afford to have you bungle things once again."

"That's not fair Matt," said Izzy, "Mimi and I were with him when he went back in time. Does that mean we messed up too?"

"None of you are permitted to come along," said present George, "but it's for your own good."

"Oh yeah?" demanded Matt, "and why's that?"

"Because if you go back in time with me and return to the future, you will remember everything that never happened," said present George, "sometimes it's best to just let things go."

Matt looked like he wanted to argue some more, but Tai cut him off.

"He's right," said the Child of Courage, "sometimes it is just better to forget."

"Mr. Helltower," came a voice in present George's head, "your portal is ready."

George glanced at his past counterpart.

"It's time," he said.

The Digimon Emperor laughed to himself as he thought about how ingenious his new plan was. Who would think to look for a Control Spire in the past?

He had taken several of his faithful slaves with him, including the recently captured former partner of Mimi Tachikawa, Togamon. Unfortunately, he couldn't bring a massive invasion force for several reasons. The first one was he had noticed that the balance of power was shifting out of his favor, and reducing his forces significantly in the present could hurt his position more in the long run than this endeavor would help it. Second, he couldn't afford to send in a large army because that would likely attract the attention of his nemesis George Helltower, and he was the last person the Emperor wanted to know about this plan. Finally, and probably most importantly, his dark digivice only controlled those digimon within a few yards of him, and there was no Spire in this sector as of yet, so he needed to keep his forces close by.

As the tunnel began to incline, the Emperor saw that the end of his journey through these accursed catacombs was nearly complete. He could see the moonlight shining through the exit.

"Let's move!" ordered the Emperor.

As the Emperor and his minions exited the ruins of the Citadel of Time, they were greeted by a most unwelcome sight. Standing just outside the ruins were not one, but two Georges along with two MetalCrocmons.

"Hello Ken," said the George without goggles, "fancy seeing you here."

"Helltower," spat the Emperor, "but how did you know?"

"Trade secret," said the one without goggles, "I'll never tell you."

"Bah!" exclaimed the Emperor, "I have not come this far just to be stopped by you…even if there are two of you. Attack!"

"Bad move Mr. Emperor," said goggleheaded George, charging up energy blasts in his palms.

"Data Bomb!"

"Croc Missiles!" (x2)

The two MetalCrocmons launched their hidden missiles into the midst of the enslaved digimon, causing them to scatter. As a result, some of them were removed temporarily from the Emperor's sphere of influence. Present George broke their rings without a fuss.

Meanwhile past George sent energy blasts into the remaining rings causing the Emperor's plan to fall apart once and for all.

As the two Georges high fived, the scene around them began to fade away.

"Hey," said past George, "what gives?"

"My guess is that the timeline is returning to normal," said present Helltower, "which means that soon I'll be the only one to remember that this ever happened."

"Well," said past Helltower, "before the time-space continuum splits us apart, I've got a few parting statements for you to remember."

"Go ahead," said present George warily, "I'm listening."

"First off, you're not so bad," said past George, "at first I thought you were a weak fool, but now I realize that you have just gained a little more maturity, at the cost of a little sanity though."

Present George nodded.

"Secondly," said past George, "while you may be smarter, more mature, and considerably better than me, I have noticed something about you a little disturbing."

"What's that?" asked present George.

"You appear to have lost a little of yourself during your maturity process," said past George, "I don't think you believe for one instant that it's because I wasn't exposed to the Spire's evil influence as long as you that I was able to get Crocmon to digivolve normally. Something subconscious is blocking you from achieving your true potential, and that's a shame and a waste."

"I see," said present George as both Georges began to fade, "I shall think about what you have told me. It was a pleasure working with you, stubborn and arrogant as you are."

He extended his hand, and past George took it.

"And it was a pleasure working with you, even though you're a self-righteous intolerant buffoon," he replied.

With that, the scene had fully faded, and the timeline was restored to normal.

Present George opened his eyes to find Davis staring at him.

"Ah," he said, "you're finally awake."

"I must have dozed off," said George casually observing his surroundings.

He was in the Jungle of Parallel Times, but this time, he was still in the present. A Control Spire stood dead ahead with nobody protecting it. The younger Digidestined along with Izzy and Mimi were watching him.

Inwardly, he shuddered.

"It never happened," he thought to himself.

"Well?" asked Davis, "should we take out the Spire?"

"Have we ascertained whether or not there are any traps nearby?" asked the fallen warrior.

"Yes," said Cody, "we have seemingly defeated the guards that protected this Spire."

At this, George noticed the small plant-like digimon standing near Mimi.

"Then what're we waiting for?" asked the Warrior of Power, "let's rock the Emperor's world once more!"

Within moments, another Control Spire had bitten the dust, and George Helltower breathed a sigh of relief.

"No!" shouted the Emperor as yet another square on the map turned white. Not only had he failed in recapturing the tundra he lost yesterday, but he'd also lost more territory to boot. One more thing, he also had a nagging feeling that somehow George Helltower had defeated him in a most horrendous manner.

As the Digidestined approached the DigiPort, Yolei looked back at George.

"Are you sure you're not coming back with us?" she asked.

"Positive," replied George, "I have things that need to be taken care of here. Izzy will fill you in on the big picture when you get back to the real world."

"I will?" asked Izzy incredulously.

"You will," confirmed George, "and I will send you the blueprints and the list of targets later today. For now, I need to rest. I've had a long day."

Mimi chuckled.

"Arguing with rental agencies is that tiring?" she asked.

"Something like that," mumbled George, as he flew away carrying Crocmon.

Shortly thereafter, the Digidestined returned to the real world unaware of how close to disaster they had actually come.

Narrator: How will the Emperor make up for this defeat, and what effect will past George's parting words have on his present counterpart? Find out next time on Digimon: Digital Monsters!

21: Not too shabby eh? I already know what's going to happen next episode, unfortunately it will be a lot closer to the anime than these past two episodes were, but as you can see, things are already diverging from the anime counterpart to this story. (PS: I seem to use the word counterpart a lot I think...)

Sponsor: Can we go now?

21: Not just yet, one more thing must be taken care of.

George: What's that?

21: The answer to my question a few episodes ago about the hidden quote from an anime that I placed into episode 4.

Sponsor: And that would be?

21: If you look closely at Davis's line right before my segue into Santa Geria, you'll notice that he doesn't say "chit-chat" he actually says "chat-chit" which is paying homage to Omi from "Xiaolin Showdown" (which I do not own). Also, in this episode I pay homage to "The Seven Songs of Merlin" by T.A. Barron (once again which I do not own), in the form of George's sword and the seven symbols composing power.

Sponsor: Will that be all?

21: Yeah, that should do it...

Sponsor: Good, because it's 1:18AM, and for some strange reason I WANT TO GO TO BED AND GET SOME SLEEP!

George: Huh, couldn't begin to imagine why you'd want to do something as useless as sleep...

21: Whatever, let's just leave the raving lunatic to his idiocy...

(21 and George leave the building locking it up behind them)

Sponsor: DAMN IT YOU TWO! THIS ISN'T FUNNY! LET ME OUT!

(21 and George start snickering like crazy)


	8. The Emperor's Identity

21: I'm back!

Sponsor: Oh joy...

21: Part of the reason this episode took me so long was because of a review I received that made me start thinking a little more about my OCs. To make a long story short, for someone who hasn't read the D0 trilogy (which I will get back to writing soon), George Helltower does indeed seem like an insert author into story here character, but really he's more than that. George's main function in the 'beyond D0' time line is to replace two of the biggest Canon Sues in the Digimon series. The first, as becomes clearly obvious in this episode, is Ryo. The second is Willis. Naturally, if he's going to replace Sue-ish characters within the canon, he himself will become slightly Sue-ish himself; however, I will admit that some of the fault is mine. I have been rather vague about 'exactly what George's powers are' because, to be honest, I'm not even quite sure yet (also, I've been basing some of his powers on the Q, who are an omnipotent species, which again naturally leads to Sue-ish characteristics). However, other than his powers, I believe I can justify any and all characteristics or abilities George has somewhat reasonably, and again I would like to remind readers that if they have any questions about him or any of my other characters, I would be most happy to answer them. Anyways, as a result of this reviewer (to whom I apologize for wasting his time, and thank him for his criticism), I have began to rethink George's character, and I even wrote an episode that will be posted much later in this series. Also, I will certainly think a lot harder about my characters when [finally] updating D0 again...I think that's enough reflection for now. (Also, despite the allegations in said review, I have not now, nor likely will I ever, watch Twilight.)

Sponsor: Yeah, yeah, you're a better person now. Can we get a move on?

21: Sure thing, just do your stuff and we can begin...

Sponsor: The21stMartian doesn't own Digimon, so please do not sue him, he doesn't even have a car anymore.

21 (crying): That wasn't even my fault either. My car was parked on the street and someone slipped into it.

Sponsor: I knew I shouldn't have brought that up...

21 (perfectly happy now): And so, without further ado, I hereby present the latest of my updates, an interesting episode that may one day get a title change. Namely...

Episode 8: The Emperor's Identity

(George): Last time I had been captured by Togamon, but was rescued by a past version of myself along with the other Digidestined. We managed to destroy the Control Spire the Emperor had planted in the past, only to discover he'd converged his forces back into the present. As we chased after them through the Citadel of Time, a trap caused a cave in which separated us from the younger Digidestined. When Izzy, Mimi, my past self, and I emerged in the present, we found out that the Emperor had managed to conquer the entire Digital World. As a last ditch effort to stop him, I convinced the Sovereigns to allow me to travel back in time (with my past counterpart) to just before the Emperor had erected his Control Spire. Together, we took out the Emperor's forces, and restored the time line back to normal. As we faded into our separate time periods, my past self gave me some interesting advice…I wonder what's in store for us next.

As George quietly packed his supplies into his pack, he pondered the advice his past counterpart had given him.

"You appear to have lost a little of yourself during your maturity process," is what his past self had said, and, to be honest, it made sense. It collaborated perfectly with the fact that, despite the Control Spire, his past self had managed to get Crocmon to digivolve to the Champion level, while he himself could not perform that feat.

"What is it that I have lost?" thought George, "not courage surely, no one has told me lately that I'm a coward…"

He continued to think as he stuffed a large cooler into his pack.

"Not knowledge, I've got plenty. I'm still fairly reliable, and I always speak my mind," he thought, "I think I'm a good friend, and I truly love my friends and companions as if they were my family…which means, I've lost hope."

As he placed the last of his miscellaneous objects into his overstuffed pack, the fallen warrior pondered this line of thought.

"Could I have lost hope?" he wondered, "I always believed there was a bright future for the Digital World. Have I lost that belief?"

The fallen warrior shrugged as he slipped on his pack. He left a scribbled note to the Izumis thanking them for their hospitality and explaining that he'd had to catch an overnight flight back to the States as something important had come up. He also quickly e-mailed Izzy a list of crucial targets along with the incomplete blueprints of the new digivice that he'd compiled earlier. Finally, just before he opened a DigiPort, the former gogglehead placed a flash drive onto Izzy's nightstand. The drive was labeled "Security".

After taking one last look around to make sure he hadn't left anything else behind, George opened a DigiPort. One bright flash of light later, he was gone.

* * *

The next morning found Davis practicing soccer with Tai.

"Thanks for the one-on-one training coach," said Davis, as his kicked the ball down the field, "it really makes up for the fact that I've been missing practice."

"No problem," said Tai, as he intercepted the ball from his protégé, "I know you're missing it for a good cause, so I do the best I can to help."

After a few more minutes of practice, Tai decided to call for a break.

"Not bad Davis," he said smiling his goofy smile, "but you've still got a lot to learn."

"That's why I'm here," said Davis happily.

"Right," said Tai, "and I'll have to teach you most of it by tomorrow."

"Why's that?" asked the youngest gogglehead.

"Because that's when our first scrimmage is," replied Tai, "and it's against last year's champions, the Tamachi Torpedoes."

"The Tamachi Torpedoes?" asked Davis excitedly, "that's the team with that boy genius isn't it?"

"That's right," said Tai, "Ken Ichijouji is the Torpedo's captain, and so you'll have to be careful. He may even be better than I am."

Davis snorted.

"Nobody's better at soccer than you are coach," he exclaimed.

Tai laughed and the two continued practicing.

A few hours later, the sweaty soccer duo joined up with several of the other Digidestined in the park. Notably absent were Joe (he had a big test to study for), and George.

"Where's George?" asked Davis, "I thought with the whole 'Emperor being in a perfect position to take over the Digital World' thing he'd be here helping us take out Spires."

"He is," answered Izzy, "but he's acting as a separate group than us. That way the Emperor will have two threats to deal with simultaneously, and we have the added bonus of a 24 hour presence in the Digital World while the Emperor has to come home every night."

"So George is remaining in the Digital World and not coming back?" asked Cody.

"He'll be back," said Izzy, "but for now he wants to make sure the Emperor can't complete his bid for conquest."

"So who called the meeting?" asked Yolei.

"I did!" said Izzy, "utilizing the data sent to me by George, I have managed to learn more about the new digivices. Apparently they have three functions, Digital, Detect, and Discover. Digital controls digivolution, which is a new function the old models didn't have. Apparently you can now digivolve your partners without there being imminent danger. Detect is the locator program for other digivices. It's been updated a little since our model because now you can see the individual Crests, or colored dots so you know who is close by and not just that someone is close by. Discover is a function that wasn't necessary back when we were in the Digital World; it allows the digivices to find new DigiEggs."

"Wow," said Tai, "imagine the convenience if we could've digivolved our partners whenever we wanted. I wouldn't have had to overstuff Agumon so much that he digivolved into SkullGreymon…"

The older gogglehead sighed as he recalled his fateful mistake that almost killed him back during their first adventure in the Digital World.

Sora gently patted him on the back.

"What's done is done," she said, "you've learned a lot since then."

Tai nodded and smiled his goofy smile again.

"I think we should call the new digivices D3s," said Mimi, "it's a lot easier than calling them 'new digivices'."

After a few nods, the motion was passed, but Matt was grumpy.

"Is that all we're here for?" demanded the rock star, "I ditched practice for this you know."

"Patience Matt," said Izzy calmly, "I also brought George's list of targets."

The others leaned in as Izzy passed out copies of the list. Several sectors were circled. A few were crossed out.

"The circled sectors are the ones George wants us to hit," said Izzy, "the ones that are crossed out have been freed since last night when I received the list."

"Okay," said Tai, "so what now?"

"For some reason George is being nice to us," said Izzy, "he said we can take the day off. The situation still isn't good, but it's getting better."

"Speaking of taking time off, he should do the same," said Mimi, "he works himself too hard."

Davis nodded happily.

"Maybe he can come to my soccer game tomorrow," he said, "if I have George Helltower cheering me on, who cares if my opponent is Ken Ichijouji? He's just a small fry next to George!"

"You're playing against the famous Ken Ichijouji tomorrow?" demanded Yolei, as she grabbed Davis' shirt, "why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I only found out today," choked Davis.

"You'd better get his autograph for me!" said the lavender haired girl as she dropped him.

"Here's a thought," said Cody, "why don't you get it yourself? You can watch the soccer game."

"That's a great idea!" shouted Yolei, "perfecto!"

"Wonderful," thought Davis sarcastically, "just what I needed."

Izzy misinterpreted Davis' look of despair, and clapped a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry Davis," said Izzy, "I'll tell George about the game. Maybe he'll actually give himself a break to watch you play."

* * *

"You want me to what?" demanded George.

It was a few hours later, and George was video chatting with Izzy from his control room in Gargantuan Mountain.

"I said you should come to Davis' soccer game tomorrow," said Izzy, "you've been driving yourself too hard lately, especially since yesterday. I'm not sure what's going on with you, but you appear to be borderline obsessed with eliminating the Emperor."

"Well he's evil," said George simply looking away, "and I can't stand evil within the Digital World."

"I don't recall your having such an attitude when the Dark Masters were wreaking havoc," replied Izzy, "you let us take care of them."

George sighed. "I had no choice," he replied.

As Izzy began to ask why, George quickly changed the subject back to the soccer game.

"So who's Davis playing against?" he asked.

"The Tamachi Torpedoes," replied Izzy, "it might interest you that their team captain is—"

"Ken Ichijouji," finished George coldly, "the boy genius. I'll be there."

As he signed off, Izzy wondered what had angered George.

* * *

The afternoon sun was shining as Davis walked onto the soccer field. It was here he would make his stand, here where he would transform from just a normal kid to a living legend, here where, for the first time, Ken Ichijouji would taste defeat.

Davis smiled as he looked at the people who had come to cheer him on. As soccer team coach, Tai was of course there, but so were Sora, Izzy, TK, Yolei, Cody, and, most importantly, Kari. Even George could be seen sitting next to Izzy, a grumpy expression on his face, but at least he was there. The newest Digidestined had also brought their digimon, and DemiVeemon was relaxing comfortably in TK's lap.

"With such good friends," he thought, "how can I lose?"

It was then that the Tamachi Torpedo's bus arrived, cueing a mass of squealing fan girls to encircle it, lying in wait for the genius within.

Unfortunately (for them) Ken wasn't on the bus, and, as the vehicle began to drive away, the fan girls were upset, but none was more upset than Yolei.

"Hey!" she exclaimed, "where is he Cody?"

"I don't know," said the 4th grader simply, "maybe he's sick."

"I highly doubt it," said George, and then looked appalled that he had said anything.

"What do you mean?" asked Sora, who was still suspicious that George was hiding something important from them.

"Nothin'," said George coldly, "I just meant he's probably busy doing a commercial shoot or something. Just because he isn't here doesn't automatically mean he's sick."

* * *

Meanwhile on the field, Davis wasn't too happy about this turn of events either. How could he become a living legend if he didn't beat Ken?

He ran over to the green clad team's coach, another high school student.

"Where's Ken?" he asked.

"He couldn't make it," replied the coach.

"He's so busy he rarely has time for soccer anymore," sighed one of Ken's teammates.

"Hmmm," thought Davis glancing at George, "that sounds like someone I know."

"Davis!" called Tai, and the youngest gogglehead ran over to his mentor.

"Yeah coach?" he asked.

"Don't forget even if Ken isn't here these guys are still champions," said Tai.

"Yeah!" exclaimed Davis pumping his fist, "and if I defeat them I'll still be a living legend!"

"No need to get ahead of yourself Davis," said Tai, "just because Ken isn't here doesn't mean you can underestimate the Torpedoes."

"Don't worry coach!" exclaimed Davis, "I'll do you proud!"

Tai sweat dropped as his protégé strutted onto the soccer field.

* * *

On the bleachers, George was watching with mild interest.

"Rather confident isn't he?" he asked nobody in particular.

* * *

The rest of the players took the field, and the whistle was blown.

Davis quickly gained possession of the ball and charged down the field with the opposing players hot in pursuit. As Davis was surrounded by the green team's defense, one of his comrades passed close by.

"I'm open!" he shouted, but Davis ignored him and continued charging forward, dodging the two defense players and a midfielder before kicking the ball into the Torpedo's goal.

"GOAL!" shouted the referee, "the Odaiba Ocelots take the lead!"

* * *

"Not a very good team player," remarked George, who had pulled out a small notepad and began taking notes. Sora noticed.

"Whatcha doing?" she asked curiously.

"Writing lesson plans," replied the Martian Digidestined casually.

"Lesson plans?" asked Izzy, "who're you teaching?"

But George's attention had returned to the game, so he didn't respond.

* * *

By the time the half-time whistle was blown, the Ocelots had scored another three goals (two of them scored by Davis), while the Torpedoes had yet to score.

"Curious," said George, "weren't these guys last year's champs?"

"Yeah," said Sora, "supposedly they destroyed the competition, but now it seems like they can't put any plays together. The team seems disjointed."

"Maybe it's because Ken isn't here?" hypothesized Izzy.

Sora shook her head.

"One player couldn't possibly be that important," she remarked.

Although neither of them noticed, George was scowling.

* * *

"Well coach?" asked Davis as he sat back on the bench, "how am I doing?"

"Not bad Davis," said Tai, "but you shouldn't hog the ball so much. Remember, there's no 'I' in team."

"Man," said Davis confidently, "these guys are terrible. How'd they even get to be champions at all last year? Beating them will be a piece of cake!"

Of course, as we all know, one should never say such things out loud, because it was at that very moment that a taxi cab pulled up to the soccer field and deposited a boy.

At first glance, nobody would guess that this scrawny pale individual was even remotely athletic, let alone a soccer star. His plain gray school uniform hid the many talents of this particular individual.

As he walked down the bleachers onto the field, Ken Ichijouji (for of course that's who this individual was) noticed some very familiar faces both in the crowd and on the field. The Digidestined's leader turned to stare right at him, an expression of mild interest displayed on his features.

"It's those kids!" he thought, and then took another look, "and Helltower too…hmmm, this makes things interesting."

* * *

Moments before, George had felt a tingling in his spine. He turned to look behind him and saw Ken staring at him as he descended the stairs to the field. A confident smirk could be seen on the boy genius's lips.

"Hmmm," thought George, "now things will finally get interesting."

* * *

"Hey coach," said Ken, as he arrived on the field.

Somehow, he'd managed (aside from George) to make it to the field undetected, but now that he was in plain sight, there was massive squealing and other fan girl noises coming from the bleachers (especially from Yolei who was once again squishing poor Poromon).

"Ken!" exclaimed his coach, "glad you could make it, now hustle up and get changed. We could use your help."

The pale youth ran off to the locker rooms and, in moments, reemerged in his green soccer uniform.

Barely a minute later, the whistle was blown and half-time was over.

"The Tamachi Torpedoes are now substituting in number seven, Ken 'The Rocket' Ichijouji!" exclaimed the referee, as the pale youth took up his position, which happened to be opposite Davis.

"So you're Ken," said Davis, "I'm Davis, you probably heard about how I was dominating the field last half."

"Somebody may have mentioned something along those lines," said Ken casually.

The starting whistle was blown. Barely a second later, Ken gained possession of the ball and was speeding down the field. Before the Ocelot goalkeeper knew what hit him, Ken had scored a goal.

"Goal!" shouted the ref, "number seven Ken Ichijouji."

"He's fast!" said Tai, staring at 'the Rocket' wide eyed, "no wonder he got his nickname."

With Ken in command, the Torpedoes began shaping up. 'The Rocket' ordered his teammates around like a drill sergeant, and they pulled off play after play. In mere moments, they had tied the game, and a few moments later they were far ahead with the score being 9-4.

"Man," thought Davis, "this guy really is good!"

Tai called for a timeout and the Ocelots gathered around him.

"What do we do?" asked one of the midfielders, "Ken is unstoppable!"

"I can't even see him coming!" exclaimed the goalie, "it's impossible to block his shots!"

Tai glanced at the clock, there was barely a minute left in the game. There was no way they'd win now, but at least they could end on a positive note.

"No matter how fast he is, Ken is still as fallible as everyone else," said the Ocelot's coach, "the main source of his skills is his speed, but since he's moving so fast, he may not be able to stop himself in time if he comes up against a tough defender. Davis, I'm switching you to a midfielder, that way you can block him from taking another shot. If we can even make one play against this guy, we'll be better off than any of the other soccer teams that faced him last season."

"Right!" exclaimed Davis; he was going to get a piece of Ken no matter what!

As the players ran back to the field, Ken noticed the change in Davis' position.

"Clever," he thought, "they're trying to play a little more defensive now, but it shouldn't matter."

* * *

Back on the bleachers, Yolei was practically drooling over 'the Rocket's' moves.

"Isn't he great Cody?" she demanded, "He's mopping the floor with Davis!"

"Way to support your friends," remarked George, who had pulled out his notepad again, and was scribbling furiously.

Izzy tried to glance over the fallen warrior's shoulder, but George's handwriting was unintelligible to him.

* * *

The whistle was blown, and once again Ken rocketed (pun intended) across the field.

"Formation C!" he yelled as he ran, causing the other offense and midfielder players to surround him. Davis looked on. While it was true Ken was protected for now, he knew that the other players would have to step aside for a moment to allow Ken to shoot, and Davis had no doubts that Ken wanted to score the last goal of the game, well that wasn't going to happen!

As Ken and his teammates approached the Ocelot's goal, Davis prepared to charge. At the very moment the other players parted to allow Ken to shoot, he dove towards the ball.

"Not this time buster!" he yelled, as he slid past Ken, accidentally grazing 'the Rocket's' ankle with his cleat as he kicked the ball out from under him.

"What?" exclaimed Ken.

As the ball rolled out of bounds, the whistle blew signifying the end of the game.

* * *

"Good game Davis," said Tai, "you played well, although I think you went a little overboard on Ken's shin…"

Davis glanced over to the other team's captain. Blood was dripping from the wound his cleat had inflicted.

"Oops," said Davis sheepishly.

"You'd better go apologize," said the Ocelot's coach.

"Right!" exclaimed Davis running over towards the Torpedo's bench.

"Oh," said Ken simply, "it's you…"

"Sorry about your leg," said Davis rubbing the back of his head, "I guess I went a little overboard…"

"Think nothing of it," said Ken, "that play never fails. I must've been too distracted thinking about scoring, and didn't notice you."

"Well, that play failed against me," said Davis happily.

"Indeed," said Ken standing up shakily and holding out his hand, "I hope we get to play each other again. Until then, farewell my worthy adversary until we meet again on the field of battle."

Davis shook Ken's hand proudly. This was one of the most rewarding experiences of his life. Now Kari would definitely choose him over that lame TQ.

* * *

"And then he called me his worthy adversary and we shook hands!" said Davis excitedly.

The Digidestined were walking towards the computer lab, and Davis was retelling the story of his conversation with Ken.

Yolei punched him.

"Ow!" exclaimed Davis, "what was that for?"

"For hurting my poor Ken!" exclaimed the lavender haired girl.

"Settle down," said George, who had once again pulled out his notebook, "there's work to be done."

As they arrived at their destination, Sora's cell phone rang. She picked it up.

"Hello?" she said, "oh! I totally forgot!"

Sora hung up.

"I was supposed to meet Mimi at the mall right after the game ended," she explained, "I've got to go!"

As she dashed out the door, she pulled Tai with her.

"Hey!" exclaimed the gogglehead, "why do I have to come along? I never made plans with Mimi to go to the mall."

"It's part of the job of being a boyfriend," said Sora as she tugged him along, "you have to accompany me to the mall and carry all of the shopping bags."

"Guys help me out here," said Tai, who was hanging onto the door by the tips of his fingers and slipping fast.

"Have fun you two," said Izzy, somewhat malignantly.

"Enjoy your date," said Davis.

"Have him back before midnight," said George attempting to sound jovial.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Tai's scream faded away as Sora dragged him farther from the computer lab.

George shut the door casually.

"Now then," said the fallen warrior, "to business."

"Right!" said Davis pumping his fist, "what's on the agenda for today?"

"We're splitting up into two groups," explained George, "I will continue knocking down Spires on Western Driver as I was doing before your soccer game."

"So what do we do?" asked Cody.

"You guys can take out this Spire here," said George, pointing at a black square on the screen, "it popped up overnight in an area that had been cleared out yesterday afternoon."

"Which group will I be in?" asked Izzy.

"You're going to stay here and monitor our communications Izzy," said George, "that way, if one group is in trouble, the other group can come help."

Izzy nodded. It wasn't what he'd prefer to do, but it was still an important job.

"Right," said George setting the coordinates on the DigiPort, "in you go!"

"Let's do this!" exclaimed Davis enthusiastically as he held up his D3.

The others followed suit and, after a bright flash of light, were gone.

George tapped a few keys on the keyboard, said his farewell to Izzy, and also disappeared into the computer screen.

Izzy sat back and waited.

* * *

"Whoa!" exclaimed Davis, "where are we?"

"I believe this place is known as the Valley of Death," said Hawkmon, "a most ominous name…"

Indeed the name seemed to fit the surroundings. Tall gray cliffs rose up over a desolate, sandy terrain. There was no vegetation, nor any sign of life whatsoever. There was, however, a Control Spire standing at the top of a canyon several miles away. It was almost impossible not to see.

"I don't like this," thought TK, "it's like he wants us to find the Spire."

"I sense a trap," thought Cody.

"Well?" asked Davis, "what're we waiting for? Let's go!"

The gogglehead took a step forward, and that's when all hell broke loose.

* * *

Izzy, having gone to the bathroom, didn't notice the pale boy in a gray school uniform who went into the computer lab and also disappeared into the computer. An evil smirk stretched across his features. He would make the one who had cut him suffer for his insolence. Nobody was his equal or superior for he was the Digimon Emperor!

* * *

Davis whirled around at the sound of his friends screams.

"What the hell?" he exclaimed.

The ground had begun swallowing his friends and, try as he might, he couldn't stop it. He tried pulling them out with his hands, with a nearby piece of scrap wood and with Flamedramon, but nothing worked. In mere moments, his friends disappeared beneath the ground's surface.

"Shit!" he exclaimed, crying, "dig Veemon dig!"

Davis and Veemon dug a big hole, but there was still no sign of his friends anywhere. It was as though they had disappeared off the face of the earth.

The ground started rumbling, causing Davis and Veemon to scramble out from the hole.

"Let's go Veemon!" exclaimed the gogglehead, "before the ground swallows us too!"

He and Veemon dashed across the sandy terrain, which seemed to be collapsing behind them. The only direction it seemed they could safely go was towards the Control Spire. It was all too clear that, one way or another, they had fallen into one of the Emperor's sinister traps.

(A/N: Davis should have listened to Admiral Ackbar (I do not own Star Wars).)

* * *

TK woke up, although for a few moments he couldn't tell whether his eyes were open or not. The room he was in was pitch black. He could sense the presence of several creatures nearby, getting closer and closer; their glowing red eyes being the only source of light. He reached for his D3, but found that it wasn't there. Further investigation revealed that his mini-computer was missing as well. The creatures came closer; TK could feel their slimy hands grabbing him. Before he could even scream, he was tightly bound and shoved into a bright room. His other friends (except Davis) were there as well, and so was the Emperor.

"That's the lasht of them your highnesh!" exclaimed one of the creatures who had bound TK.

"Excellent!" said the Emperor jovially, "that goggle brained buffoon has almost reached the Spire. It's show time!"

The Digidestined were hauled by the creatures (who turned out to be Geckomon and Otamamon), to an unknown destination.

* * *

"Timber!" shouted Sobekmon; as yet another Control Spire bit the dust.

"Not bad old friend," said George, "now let's move on to the next sector."

"Couldn't we take a break first?" asked Sobekmon as he dedigivolved to Crocmon, "I'm beat."

George chuckled.

"Alright," he said, "I suppose we could take a quick break."

As he and Crocmon sat down on some nearby rocks and sipped from water bottles (although George's was a bit of a misnomer as it wasn't filled with water), Crocmon turned to look at his partner. George hadn't slept in over 24 hours. For some reason, ever since yesterday George had become even more obsessed with defeating the Emperor.

"George?" he asked cautiously, this was a topic that required extreme sensitivity.

"You want to know why I've become so obsessed with taking out the Emperor right?" asked George.

He sighed.

"Alright, I'll tell you," said the Martian Digidestined, "but it's a long story…"

* * *

Davis had reached the canyon in record time, and the ground had stopped shaking. Above him, the Control Spire dominated the sky like a black needle piercing at the never-ending gray.

On one side was a narrow rock bridge that connected two of the cliffs, but Davis hadn't noticed that yet, he was too busy trying to catch his breath.

"Well, well, well," said the Emperor from above.

Davis looked up. The Emperor was standing next to his Spire glaring down at him through his tinted sunglasses.

"How many times must I tell you to stay out of my garden!" exclaimed the tyrant.

"This world doesn't belong to you!" shouted Davis, "and as long as I'm alive I will continue to fight you and everything you stand for!"

"Dear me," said the Emperor, "rather confident aren't we today. I wouldn't be so snarky if I were you boy!"

"And why's that?" demanded Davis.

"See for yourself," said the Emperor pointing to the narrow strip of rock.

While they had been conversing, the Emperor's minions had tied the other Digidestined and their partners to the rocky bridge. They struggled there for a moment, unable to move.

"You bastard!" exclaimed Davis, "let them go right now!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that," said the Emperor casually, "you see it's Deltamon's lunchtime, and he gets very cranky if he isn't fed."

On cue, a giant digimon burst out of the ground near the bridge. He was blue with a white scaly belly. He had three heads, two of which were in place of hands. His regular head was blue. His right hand was actually a skull head, similar to SkullGreymon's, and his left hand was actually a robotic reptilian head. All three heads were growling ominously.

"What's that thing?" asked Davis.

"Meet Deltamon," said the Emperor, "his Triplex Force will eliminate his enemies!"

"That does it!" said Davis, reaching for his D3, "I'll barbecue you!"

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," said the Emperor, "because you see, there is still a chance to save your friends, but if you attack me I might reconsider."

"How can I save my friends?" asked Davis.

"Beg," demanded the Emperor, "please Master spare my friends."

"Please master," repeated Davis kneeling, "spare my friends."

"Please master," prompted the Emperor, "spare my worthless friends."

"Please master," began Davis, but Veemon could take no more.

"Davish!" he exclaimed, "what're you doing?"

"Be quiet Veemon!" said Davis, "we have to save the others no matter what!"

"I believe you were in the middle of saying something?" said the Emperor.

"Please master," repeated Davis, "spare my worthless friends."

"Now Veemon," continued the Emperor, "restrain him!"

"Never!" exclaimed the bipedal dino.

"It's okay Veemon," said Davis, "it's for a good cause."

Veemon sighed and slowly placed his foot on Davis' head.

The Emperor laughed.

"Ah, but I do indulge myself," he said wiping away imaginary tears from his eyes.

"Now Geckomon relieve Mr. Motomiya of his digivice and computer," said the Emperor, "we wouldn't want him to hurt himself with such dangerous equipment."

From his kneeling position, Davis scowled, but did not resist as the Geckomon took his D3 and mini-computer.

"Davish…" said Veemon quietly, "how long do we have to do this?"

"Until he frees our friends," whispered Davis, "it's what George would do if he was here…"

"By the way," called the Emperor from above, "I noticed that once again Mr. Helltower has left you all alone. Didn't I tell you he doesn't care about you?"

Afraid of the consequences if he were to argue with the Emperor, Davis remained silent.

The Emperor made Davis and Veemon stay in that position for another agonizing five minutes before finally deciding he'd had enough fun.

"Very well," he said, "you have a lifeline."

"What is it?" asked Davis.

"Well, since math is beyond you, I shall explain," said the Emperor, "you see, Deltamon has only three heads, but there are four of your friends and their partners. That means that one of them may be permitted to live without making Deltamon miss his lunch, but as for which one will be saved, that is for you to decide."

"You're making me choose which one of my friends to save?" asked Davis, "but what about the others?"

"Unfortunately for them, I cannot let them all go," said the Emperor in mock apology, "they will be eaten by Deltamon."

"Shit!" thought Davis, "how will I decide who to save? By saving one, I condemn the others!"

The Emperor laughed inwardly at Davis' indecision. How he loved watching his enemies squirm! It was time to add another constraint to the equation.

The Emperor took out a small hourglass.

"Better hurry," he called down, "you have until the sand runs out, and it isn't very long pretty boy!"

Davis watched helplessly as the sand ran down the hourglass.

"Who should I save?" he thought desperately.

* * *

"…and so the reason nobody else remembers what happened is because by traveling into the past, my past self and I corrected the time line such that none of it actually happened," finished George, "the only reason I remember is because I was outside of the normal time line when the resetting occurred."

"I see," said Crocmon, "that explains a lot."

The two sat in silence for a little while before Crocmon continued.

"You should really tell them," he said.

"There are some things best left forgotten," said George.

"You know what I mean," said the crocodilian digimon sternly.

"How can I tell them?" demanded George, "I can't just go up to them and say, 'hey it's my fault that the Digimon Emperor exists!' They'd think I'm loco!"

"Everyone makes mistakes," said Crocmon, "and trying to cover up for yours by not telling them who the Emperor is isn't the correct way to fix it."

"They don't need to know," said George, "it's not relevant information."

"On the contrary," countered Crocmon, "it's highly relevant information, and they'll find out sooner or later whether or not you tell them!"

"How can they possibly understand though?" said George, "I can't tell them because they'd condemn me!"

"Let go of your pride!" said Crocmon, "just because in this instance you have been given permission to interfere directly with the Digital World, doesn't mean you should exclude the others and take out the Emperor by yourself!"

Before George could answer, they heard a **beep** emanating from George's pocket. The fallen warrior put on his sunglasses and typed a command on the right arm of the accessory. Instantly, George had Internet access and was reading an urgent e-mail from Izzy.

**The others are in danger! They need help!**

**Izzy**

"You see?" said Crocmon, "the Emperor now dislikes them almost as much as he hates you."

"Fine," sighed George, "I'll tell them when we get back to the real world."

The Warriors of Power, feeling refreshed from their break, took off at top speed for the nearest portal.

* * *

"Time's running out!" said the Emperor, about half of the sand remained in the hourglass, and still Davis had not come to a decision, "perhaps you'd like to be able to talk to your friends?"

Before Davis could object, the Geckomon climbed up to the narrow bridge and took off the gags on his friend's mouths.

"Don't worry about me Davis!" shouted Kari, "save someone else!"

"Don't take your eyes off the Emperor!" shouted Cody.

"Get me out of here!" screamed Yolei.

"Run Davis!" yelled TK, "save yourself!"

"My, my," said the Emperor, "even in death your friends are brave…except this one of course."

The Emperor nodded, and Yolei was lowered towards one of Deltamon's awaiting mouths.

"I think you'll agree with me that she's not worth saving," he said.

"Wait!" shouted Davis, "I still have time left!"

"True," sighed the Emperor, "I suppose I should let you mull this one out a little longer. I enjoy seeing you attempt to think."

Davis sat there, with his friends yelling at him.

"Save someone else!"

"Get out of here!"

"Keep your eyes on the Emperor!"

"HELP!"

"What do I do?" he thought.

"Argh!" he yelled.

"Argh?" repeated the Emperor, "that's not one of your friend's names. Surely you'd like to save one of your friends. By not saying anything you are allowing all four of them to be eaten, but I have generously allowed you to save one of them."

"If I save Kari, she'll be mad at me for not saving someone else," thought Davis, "if I save Yolei she'll be mad at me anyways. If I save Cody he'll be mad at me for falling into the Emperor's trap. If I save TK he'll be unhappy I didn't save Kari. What do I do?"

The Emperor was enjoying every minute of this. He had more than repaid that vulgar idiot for slicing his shin, but he just couldn't help it. It was too much fun watching him squirm and seeing the smoke come out of his ears as his attempts to think overheated his brain. This was truly what he lived for.

In his frustration, Davis began pounding on the ground. He threw a temper tantrum and got really mad.

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" he thought, "what would George do?"

The last of the sand fell through to the bottom of the hourglass.

"Time's up!" called the Emperor, "you're not a very good friend are you?"

* * *

Izzy was watching the unfolding drama helplessly from the real world. George had given him the access codes to his old surveillance equipment on the same flash drive he'd left the hacking code for the D3's security system. He knew that if he had been in the Valley of Death, he would either be one of the hostages or he'd be just as helpless as Davis. Either thought saddened him immensely.

As he watched George and Crocmon running towards the portal, he realized that if they didn't make it in time, it was a distinct possibility that they'd have their first fatalities in the Digital World, and that they'd have to explain said fatalities to the parents concerned.

"Please George," he thought desperately, "make it there in time!"

* * *

George and Crocmon charged into the portal at top speed. He realized that if Izzy had sent him the message, that the odds were that nobody on the other side was capable of sending him that message, which would mean that haste was certainly necessary.

"Shit!" he thought, "what if they're…no! They can't be dead! They can't be…"

* * *

"I gave you the chance to save one of your friend and you blew it," said the Emperor, "you must not like them very much."

"No!" shouted Davis, "give me more time!"

"I already gave you plenty of time," said the Emperor, "you're just too stupid."

Deltamon began advancing on his friends. The Emperor had left them ungagged so Davis could hear their screams as Deltamon ate them alive.

"Wait!" shouted Davis, "take me instead!"

"You think you could satisfy Deltamon's hunger?" scoffed the Emperor, "very well, we shall see about that. Deltamon, new plan! Eat the one with the goggles!"

The dinosaur ambled slowly towards Davis, who stood his ground.

"Davish," said Veemon nervously, "if you've got a secret plan I think now would be a good time to use it!"

"Sorry buddy," said Davis, "not this time. I have to sacrifice myself so that my friends can live."

"Oh great!" shouted Yolei sarcastically, "you're trying to play the hero!"

"You can't trust the Emperor!" yelled Cody, "he'll have Deltamon eat you and still not set us free!"

"Listen to Cody!" screamed TK, "at least if you live someone will be able to continue the fight!"

"Save yourself!" hollered Kari.

"Sorry guys," said Davis, "I have to do this…"

"But wait," said Veemon, "Cody is right. What if the Emperor just has Deltamon eat you, and then the others? You'll have died for nothing!"

"I can take that risk Veemon," said Davis, "if I don't do everything I possibly can to rescue my friends I wouldn't be able to live with myself."

"How noble," scoffed the Emperor, "still, you have my word that as soon as Deltamon eats you I will let the others go."

"Don't trust him Davis," warned Cody.

"Save yourself while you still can!" advised Kari.

"Make me look bad why don't you?" grumbled Yolei, "fine don't save me then!"

Deltamon was only a few feet away now, but Davis wasn't even going to flinch. He was going to die a hero, and he wasn't going to give the Emperor the satisfaction of seeing him squirm…well any more than he already had that is.

"I may have screwed up my life," he thought, "but at least I can do something right by my death."

* * *

By now, Tai, Sora, and Mimi had returned from the mall. The girls walked into the computer lab chatting amiably, and Tai stumbled in under the weight of several dozen shopping bags.

"Oof," he said as he set the bags down carefully, "what'd you girls buy rocks?

Sora chuckled, but then she noticed that Izzy was looking rather tense.

"What's up?" she asked, "trouble in the Digital World?"

Speechlessly, Izzy pointed to the unfolding drama. On one screen, the youngest Digidestined were being held captive by the Emperor while a giant dinosaur with three heads was walking towards Davis.

On the other screen, George and Sobekmon were flying as fast as they could towards the canyon. The question on everyone's minds was 'would he make it in time?'

* * *

"Go ahead Deltamon!" shouted the Emperor, "lunch time!"

In one step, Deltamon closed the gap between himself and Davis. The dinosaur leaned over to take a bite out of Davis. The youngest gogglehead could smell the enslaved digimon's breath (from all three heads). Deltamon opened his middle mouth widely and Davis started walking in.

Suddenly, a feral roar echoed across the canyon as George Helltower made his presence known.

"LEAVE THEM ALONE!"

* * *

Back in the computer lab, the four occupants gave a collective sigh of relief. During the tension, Mimi had, unknowingly, began clinging tightly to Izzy's arm.

"He made it!" gasped Tai.

"That was close," breathed Sora.

"Arm hurting!" said Izzy, whose arm was turning purple due to the lack of circulation.

"Oops," said Mimi blushing and letting go of Izzy's arm, "sorry about that Izzy!"

Izzy cleared his throat trying to maintain a calm exterior despite the fact that his insides had been experiencing a warm fuzzy feeling moments before, but something caught his eye on the screen. What was the Emperor doing?

* * *

Abandoning all senses of reason, the Emperor had sent Deltamon to attack George.

"Triplex Force!"

Three bluish purple beams of light gathered in Deltamon's three mouths. They met up in front of the middle head and fired straight at the oncoming Helltower.

In his fury, George just smashed right through the assault, and slammed into Deltamon's Dark Ring, shattering it into microscopic particles.

George didn't even slow down as he and Sobekmon fired blast after blast upon the Geckomon and Otamamon below, breaking their Dark Rings as well. They charged towards the captive Digidestined and, in moments, managed to free them, but they still didn't have their D3s.

His rage subsided, George flew up to the top of the cliff behind the Emperor.

The Warrior of Power casually shrugged off his trench coat, revealing the white sword underneath.

"It's over Ken," he said.

* * *

Tai returned to the computer lab with a bowl of popcorn. Now that the immediate danger was over, he figured he'd just sit back and watch the show.

"George versus the Emperor," he said grabbing a handful of the popcorn, "this should be good…"

"…"

The others were too busy staring at the screen to reply.

* * *

"W-w-wait," stammered Yolei, "did George just call the Emperor Ken?"

"Yes he did," said Cody, who had very astute hearing, especially when it came to things George might have 'neglected' to tell them.

"But, surely that doesn't mean," began Davis sorrowfully glancing at the Emperor's shin. Sure enough, the tyrant's pant leg was red with the blood from the gash Davis had given him earlier.

"It can and it does," said the Emperor grandly from above, "I am Ken Ichijouji, the boy genius."

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" screamed both Davis and Yolei.

* * *

"Wow," said Tai, munching another handful of popcorn, "I knew that kid was too good to be true."

"And I knew that George was hiding something from us," said Sora, "he's known who the Emperor is since the beginning!"

"I'm sure there's a good reason he hasn't told us yet," said Mimi.

"He'd better hope so," said the redheaded girl smacking her fist into her other palm, "or he's gonna get it."

* * *

"Surrender Mr. Ichijouji," said George, "you never were a match for me."

"Perhaps not before," said Ken, "but the circle is now complete. When I last fought you I was just a learner; now I am the master."

"Only a master of evil Ken," said George smirking. (A/N: I still do not own Star Wars.)

Ken scowled, "it's about time for some changes around here!"

* * *

"This just keeps getting better and better," said Tai munching the popcorn enthusiastically.

"Shouldn't we…I don't know, maybe…go in there and help them?" asked Izzy.

"No," said Tai, "I'm pretty sure we'd just get in the way. Besides, this looks like it's going to be a good fight. Why spoil it?"

Izzy sighed; sometimes it wasn't easy being the only person who thought logically. Mimi noticed his sulking and patted him on the back.

* * *

The two combatants stared at each other in unwavering glares. The hostility emanating from the Digimon Emperor was unlike anything the Digidestined had ever seen.

"Well Ken," asked George, keeping his gaze level, "what's it gonna be?"

"You know as well as I do Helltower," came the reply, "there can be no going back now."

The former Warrior of Power sighed, "as you wish," he said.

As Ken's right hand shot for his whip, George's left hand withdrew his sword, and the two weapons collided midair. A slight smirk flashed across George's face.

"I see I taught you well," he said.

"NO!" shouted the Emperor, "what I learned, I learned on my own! You were never there for me, never willing to teach me anything, and certainly never looking out for my best interests. The one thing you taught me was that I can only trust myself."

The weapons collided again and again as Ken slashed his whip George blocked with his sword.

"Is that what you think?" asked the former mentor, "I always had your best interests in mind, and I certainly cared about your wellbeing."

"Bullshit!" spat the tyrant, "if that's true then why did you leave me to wander the Digital World alone for months before finally showing up?"

"…that was a mistake," came the reply.

The Emperor slashed his whip with more anger than ever as a fire as burning as Hell built up in his eyes.

"How could that have been a mistake? You were always perfect…so perfect in fact that you were trying to remake me in your own image. You smothered my very essence, my very being was at stake!" he retorted.

"It was for your own good," sighed George, and to himself he whispered, "to prevent something like this from ever occurring."

"MY OWN GOOD?" roared the Emperor, "now you've gone too far Helltower! How DARE you tell ME what's for MY own good!"

As the Emperor launched his next blow, he jumped off the rock on which he was standing. George barely had time to blink before the Emperor was upon him slashing and hacking with his whip. Although George managed to block every strike, it appeared that his determination to fight had been exhausted by the harsh truths of Ken's words…he, George Helltower, had given rise to the deadliest adversary the Digital World had yet encountered.

"You may have a point Ken, but enslaving Digimon is not the answer. Your quarrel is with me, and me alone. Don't drag everyone else into this!" said George.

"But master," scoffed the Emperor, "destroying your precious plaything was the only way I could get your attention. Honestly, is what I'm doing any different from what YOU were doing not so long ago?"

"How do you figure?" asked George.

"Think about it Helltower. You're revered as a deity in the world…all I'm trying to do is be _just like you_. Isn't that what you always wanted?" came the Emperor's retort.

George snarled as the flames of determination rekindled themselves within him. He no longer halfheartedly parried the Emperor's blows, but matched them with slashes of his own.

"You dare compare yourself to me? We're nothing alike! I became renowned in this world for my heroics and the protection of digimon. You are most well known for enslaving helpless digimon and massacring countless others!" he countered.

"You can call it what you will, but I will not rest until your presence is purged from this world and replaced with mine!" Ken replied.

The Digidestined's eyes widened as they came to a startling revelation.

"This is all just a game to you isn't it?" said George, having known it all along, "you don't believe that this world is real do you? The only thing you're worried about is winning the game, and to you that constitutes defeating me, the apparent ruler of this universe. Well, I've got news for you Ken Ichijouji! This world is real, and anything that happens to us here, has a direct effect on our bodies."

"So if I kill you here and now, I'll be rid of you forever?" inquired the demented Emperor, "good, all the more reason for me to show you no mercy."

"But to drag all these innocent digimon into this feud as well? You're massacring hundreds of living creatures and enslaving thousands more. Have you no shame?" asked Helltower, as he parried the Emperor's frantic onslaughts.

"I think you're just trying to trick me because you don't want to lose. Sure, this world is perfect for you. You're practically worshipped by the native creatures, you have powers beyond that of an ordinary human being, and you've practically had everything made for you these passed few years…until I showed up. It's natural for you to want to believe this world of yours is real, albeit slightly pathetic, because you created it to fit your specific needs. You're the god here, and I'll be damned if I'm going to stand by and let that happen!" replied Ichijouji.

"Believe me or not," said George, "either way, thousands of lives are at stake, and I can't afford to let you win."

"You have no right to stop me! It was your thoughtlessness that led me down this path in the first place!" spat the Emperor.

For a fraction of a second, George let his guard down as he processed this new information. In that moment, the Emperor let loose a slash with all the power he could muster. His whip collided with the side of George's head with a sickening "Crack" as the once mighty Warrior of Power fell before his former apprentice's feet, the Sword of Chaos slipping from his fingers and clattering to the ground.

The Emperor smirked at the sight. "That's right Helltower, grovel at my feet where you belong," he taunted.

The Digidestined recoiled as Ken Ichijouji, alias the Digimon Emperor, lifted his foot and smeared it across George's face.

"Oh how the mighty have fallen," laughed the tyrant, but his mirthful eyes quickly regained their anger as he started kicking and whipping Helltower's body as hard as he could.

"I hate you! I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!" he repeated with every strike, and yet George did nothing to defend himself, his sword lay discarded a few feet away, yet within grasp.

"Come on George," yelled Sobekmon, "get up."

"Don't let this guy walk all over you!" shouted Yolei.

"What the hell are you doing man?" demanded Davis.

"…he's lost the will to fight," said Kari quietly.

"How do you figure?" asked Davis bewildered as always.

"Ken's remarks must have hurt him like no physical blow ever could," said Gatomon.

"Think about it this way," said TK, "if you had spent so much time trying to protect someone, and then found out that by your actions that person had become an evil threat poised to destroy the world you spent thousands of years protecting in an attempt to be like you, how would you feel?"

"Lousy," acknowledged Davis.

"But George didn't create the Digimon Emperor," said Cody sternly, "Ken Ichijouji did that by himself."

"That may be," said TK, "but George feels that if he acted differently, this whole scenario could have been avoided."

"Well, if George won't fight him, then I will!" exclaimed Davis, "ready Veemon?"

"Always ready Davis!" exclaimed the blue bipedal lizard.

"Stop!" shouted George, as Veemon and Davis began to charge at the Emperor. The duo stopped cold, and the Digidestined looked at the fallen warrior in shock as he glared at them.

"This is my fight, and I'll finish it myself!" exclaimed the warrior, as he began to rise.

This prompted the Emperor to whip him harder than ever, but it appeared as though George was beyond caring. The former Warrior of Power slowly stood, stopping only to grab his sword on the way up.

When at last he was fully standing, he held out his sword in an offensive stance. The Emperor, who moments before had been rejoicing in the fall of his greatest adversary, was looking at the beaten and somewhat bloody warrior with traces of fear in his eyes.

"Ken Ichijouji," sighed George sadly, "you have made your bed…now you must lie in it!"

As he said the last part, George swung the Sword of Chaos with all the strength remaining within him. All traces of fear gone, the Emperor countered with a slash of his whip…it would never be enough.

George's sword slashed through the whip like it was tissue paper. The sheer force of the blow knocked the Emperor to his knees, just as George delivered a powerful roundhouse kick which sent the fiend flying over the edge of the cliff…right onto an enslaved Airdramon.

As the Emperor flew away, he noticed his sunglasses were cracking. He smirked down at his former mentor.

"We'll call this one a draw!" he yelled, "but don't worry, I WILL be back again soon."

As he said this, his sunglasses broke completely, revealing, for the first time, Ken's icy blue eyes. There was no mercy there, only hatred, hatred for the one who had betrayed him and who had stolen all his glory.

Panting heavily, George stooped down to pick up the youngest Digidestined's D3s and minicomputers. He casually threw them back to their owners looking around at the somewhat hostile and confused faces.

"I can explain," he said.

Narrator: What is George's connection to the Digimon Emperor, and what will happen now that the Digidestined know of the Emperor's true identity? Find out next time on Digimon: Digital Monsters!

21: Well, well, well, so George is Ken's old mentor. Who could have seen that one coming?

Sponsor: Yeah, yeah, you're a genius, now let's get out of here shall we?

21: I apologize for this being a shorter episode (with a longer introduction) than usual, but since a lot happens I can [hopefully] be forgiven.

Sponsor: Fine, now let's go!

21: Very well, but since I don't have a car anymore, I'm going to have to borrow yours.

(21 runs off towards the parking lot with the Sponsor's keys)

Sponsor: Wait, what?

(The Sponsor sees his car being pulled out of the lot.)

Sponsor: COME BACK WITH MY CAR YOU JUVENILE DELINQUENT!


	9. Of Light and Darkness part 1

21: Hey everybody, sorry for taking so long to update...I've had a rough couple of months.

Sponsor: It's about time you lowlifes showed up! You have a responsibility as an author to update at least once a month!

George: who died and made you the boss?

Sponsor: Your contracts did!

21: Our what now?

Sponsor: Remember when I had you sign that form that stated that you liked food?

George: yes...

Sponsor: Well that form was actually a contract that made you belong to me!

21: What are you saying?

Sponsor: While you may not own Digimon, I own you!

21 and George: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Sponsor: and so, let's see what garbage 21 has spewed out this time, namely...

Episode 9: Of Light and Darkness part 1

Episode 9.0: Assault on the Ichijouji Appartment!

(Davis): "Last time the new Digidestined and I were sent to the Valley of Death to take out a Control Spire. Unfortunately, it was a trap and the Emperor captured everybody else. I tried to bargain for their lives, but before Deltamon could eat me, George showed up and fought the Emperor. During the conflict the Emperor revealed himself to be Ken Ichijouji and that he had been George's protégé…and I had really looked up to Ken too."

An awkward silence prevailed as the Digidestined trekked back to the Digiport. Upon their arrival in the Real World, George insisted that Matt and Joe be rounded up so he wouldn't have to explain the situation twice. As Tai and Mimi ran out to call them, the fallen warrior sat silently drinking deeply from a bottle of beer, Crocmon at his side, as the others, especially Cody and Sora, glared at him.

"You keep that up and your faces will freeze like that," commented George drily.

Noone laughed.

A few minutes later, Matt ran in.

"What's the idea?" exclaimed the rock star, "I was in the middle of rehersal!"

"I'm sorry Matt," sighed George, "but this is important."

"Well get on with it then!" yelled Matt irritably, "if you hurry I can get back to practice before it gets too late!"

"We have to wait for Joe," interjected Izzy, "everyone needs to be here."

Muttering, Matt sat down in a corner making hand motions that seemed suspiciously like he was trying to strangle someone. (Needless to say, he was staring at Davis.)

Tai walked in a few moments later shaking his head.

"Joe's phone is off," explained the gogglehead, "I can't reach him."

"Allow me," said George, holding out his hand. Tai plunked his cellphone into the awaiting palm and shook his head again.

"Be my guest," he said.

* * *

Joe stared nervously at the remaining two questions on his exam. He glanced up at the clock, only ten minutes left.

As he looked back at his paper, something unexpected happened. His cellphone started ringing. The med student nearly jumped ten feet in the air. He was sure he had turned it off!

The proctor walked over and glared at Joe.

"Cellphones are not permitted Mr. Kido," she said angrily, "I'm afraid I will have to ask you to leave!"

"But—" began Joe.

"I don't want to hear excuses!" said the proctor, "just get out!"

Hanging his head, Joe exited the lecture hall. As he left, he looked at his cellphone to see who had called him. Caller ID revealed the culprit to be Tai.

Joe sighed.

"Why am I not surprised?" he thought as he hit the dial button.

* * *

Tai's phone rang. It was Joe. The gogglehead picked up.

"Hey Joe," said Tai, "I'm glad you called—"

"What's the idea of calling me in the middle of an exam!" shouted Joe, cutting off Tai's greeting, "you got me kicked out!"

"What?" said Tai, "but your phone was off…"

"I thought so too, until it started ringing!" said Joe heatedly, "if this wrecks my GPA Tai, I swear I'll—"

"I'm sorry Joe," cut in George, "I had Tai call you. Please meet us in the middle school computer lab. It is rather urgent."

"Oh," said Joe, all traces of anger dissolving, "I'll be right there!"

Matt groaned.

"Will this never end?" he mumbled.

* * *

In his darkened room Ken Ichijouji, alias the Digimon Emperor, sat typing on his computer. He had suffered a major wardrobe malfunction, and he intended to set it right and repay George for making him look like a chump.

"You may have survived that encounter Helltower," he muttered, "but you won't survive the next! Sooner or later I will beat you at your own game!"

* * *

Several agonizing moments later (at least from a certain rock star's point of view) Joe rushed into the lab.

"Whew," he said, "I never knew I could run so quickly."

"You ran all the way here?" asked Davis, "man you're so fast you should be on the soccer team!"

"W-well I-I," stammered Joe, not quite sure on how to take that statement.

Matt cleared his throat loudly.

"While listening to Joe stutter is amusing, I really need to get back to band practice," he said, "so can we please just get on with it already! Why are we here?"

All eyes turned towards George, who sighed and put down his beer.

"As many of you already know, tonight the Emperor's identity became more widely known," began the fallen warrior, choosing his words carefully.

"Don't leave us in suspense!" exclaimed Joe, as George paused briefly, "who is he?"

"The Digimon Emperor is none other than Ken Ichijouji, the boy genius," said Izzy.

"Really?" said the exasperated Joe, "it's hard to believe such a mild mannered kid can be capable of such ruthlessness."

"Ken always was good at masking his true feelings," muttered George.

"What was that?" demanded Matt.

George cleared his throat and continued.

"As many of you also know, I have known from the start who the Emperor truly was," said George.

"…and you didn't tell us because?" said Matt sarcastically.

"That is why I have called you all here," said George, "in order to explain my actions, I have to give some backstory."

He sighed and continued.

"Not that it will justify not telling you, but you have to know why I couldn't bring myself to tell you," he said.

"For the love of Christ get on with it!" yelled Matt, "always so dramatic!"

"You're one to talk," muttered Davis.

"What was that punk?" demanded the rock star.

Izzy broke up the glaring contest by separating the two contenders.

"Enough!" he said firmly, "if you two spent half as much energy obliterating the Emperor as you do fighting with each other, we'd have defeated him already!"

Matt muttered something about not being able to work in these conditions, and George continued.

"Several thousand years ago, the ancient Sovereign Griffinmon was on his deathbed," began the fallen warrior, "as he lay dying, he told me of a prophecy he had just seen. Since then, I have never forgotten those words."

A shadow fell over the former gogglehead's eyes as he pictured his old mentor lying on his deathbed reciting the words that would haunt him forever after.

"_In seven years time, a new Digidestined will be revealed. He shall seek out the most powerful being in the world and will be trained under his tutelage. However, a crisis shall rock the young child and he shall one day grow to resent his old master. Darkness shall prevail and the child shall become a threat to the Digital World like no other before or after him. Only the Golden Radiance shall put an end to the tyrant's reign."_

A silence pervaded throughout the room as the words hung like a thick fog in the air.

"So what is this Golden Radiance then?" asked Cody, "it seems that if we can find it, defeating Ken will be easy."

"If I knew that I'd have defeated him a long time ago," said George, "that part of the prophecy still makes no sense to me, but know that I have been pondering it for quite some time now."

"That still doesn't explain why you never told us who the Emperor was," said Sora fiercely, "especially considering I asked you point blank once what you knew about him."

"There's more to the story," said George, "as I'm sure you've deduced from the prophecy and our skirmish earlier, I was Ken's mentor…which means that everything he knows is my fault. He is using my knowledge of the Digital World to corrupt it. That is how he is capable of producing pitfalls such as he used today."

"Question," said Matt sarcastically, "if you had heard this prophecy seven years beforehand, why on earth did you train Ken when you knew he'd turn evil?"

"Seven years after Griffinmon's death showed the start of strange occurrences throughout the Digital World. The first of which was the appearance of a bizarre tower in the Center of the Digital World's landmass, which I later found out was the Citadel of Time," replied George.

"The what now?" asked Yolei.

"The Citadel of Time," repeated George, "didn't I tell you about Millenniummon?"

"Not that I can remember, no," replied Izzy.

The others all confirmed Izzy's response, and George looked confused.

Crocmon crawled over to George and whispered something in his ear. The videogame tycoon's eyes widened.

"Oh right," he said, "I forgot."

The fallen warrior then explained about Millenniummon in great detail.

(A/N: See episode 6 for a reminder if necessary.)

"Ah I see," said Izzy at the end, "so the appearance of the Citadel of Time seven years after Griffinmon's death was a prelude to Millenniummon's arrival."

"Indeed," said George.

"So Ken arrived in the Digital World only shortly before Millenniummon?" queried Tai.

"I'd say he arrived about a year or two before," said George.

"That still doesn't explain why you decided to teach Ken despite Griffinmon's warning," said Matt coldly, "and please try to be succinct about it!"

"Very well," said George, taking up the story once again, "amongst the confusion in the seventh year following Griffinmon's death, rumors began to circulate about another human being on the Digital World. Naturally, this got my attention, so I searched for him using my surveillance system. I found him; he was wandering through the wastelands all alone."

"So you took pity on him?" asked Cody, "even though you knew what was at risk?"

"Not nearly," said George offendedly, "I was naturally cautious and therefore decided only to observe him…nothing more."

"Obviously that view changed," said Yolei, "because you yourself said that you trained him."

"Yes well," said George, "I had been on conference with one of my colleagues from my original adventure in the Digital World at the time, and after about a month of observing, she concluded that ignoring him would only lead to complications and feelings of resentment later on. If I was cautious, she advised, I could train the boy while ensuring that he'd have no reason to turn on me and become evil."

"Seems to me like she was wrong," remarked Cody.

"Not at all," said George, "she was dead on."

"Explain," said Izzy.

"Well, I revealed myself to Ken and offered to train him. Naturally he agreed, so the first place we went was to the Primary Village to find Ken's partner," continued George.

"…wait Ken has a partner?" asked Joe.

"You wouldn't think so with his attitude," remarked TK.

"Wormmon!" exclaimed Izzy suddenly.

"I beg your pardon?" asked Tai.

"Wormmon is Ken's partner," explained Izzy.

"Very good Izzy," said George smiling, "you hit the nail on the head."

"That explains why Wormmon remains with Ken even though he's treated worse than kitty litter," commented Gatomon.

"Anyway," continued George, "I began my training, but, taking Griffinmon's words to heart, I tried to make Ken into another version of myself. I believed that if Ken was exactly like me, there would be no possible way he could become evil. Unfortunately, as you've seen, I was wrong. Ken began resisting that form of training, so I switched to another technique. I told him stories of my original adventure. Mostly they were for entertainment purposes, but I snuck in a few stories about the horrifying actions of the evil and how they always overestimate themselves and that becomes their undoing."

"Good work," said Matt sarcastically, "you've really taught him well."

"Shut up Matt!" shouted Davis.

As Matt turned to yell at Davis, Tai stepped between them.

"To be honest Matt," said Tai, "I highly doubt you'd have done any better. In fact, I don't think any of us could have done any better than George did."

"I still say he should never have taught Ken in the first place," grumbled the rock star, "that's what I would have done…"

"You don't know that," said Mimi, "not until you've actually stepped into the other person's shoes and looked at the situation from his point of view."

"In any case," continued George, "Millenniummon showed up shortly thereafter and challenged me for full control of the Digital World. I briefly explained my battle with him, but now I shall go more in depth on the first major battle we had. It was a full year or so after Millenniummon's first appearance. We had been getting into minor skirmishes, but nothing big had come of them. Finally, we met in the middle of the Server Desert, close to where the upsidedown Pyramid now stands. (Although at the time it had been right side up.) I had just succeeded in destroying Millenniummon's body, and thought I had won, but I was wrong. A virtual hailstorm of black spores flew out of the dissolving body. One of them struck Ken square in the nape of his neck. He keeled over."

"What was Ken doing there at the sight of your battle?" demanded Sora, "that doesn't seem very responsible!"

"I had taken him there for a practical lesson in why evil always loses," said George, "and I never did say I was a responsible mentor. I was trying to balance the Digital World's safety with Ken's individual wellbeing. It is…was difficult to do."

"So what happened next?" asked Yolei, intrigued by the story.

"Well Ken took very ill afterwards," answered George, "but I didn't have much time to deal with it personally as Millenniummon was not nearly as dead as I had previously thought. In fact, he had returned and become much stronger in the form of Moon=Millenniummon. Since I'd had my hands full with Millenniummon before, I decided to get help for this one. However, Moon=Millenniummon proved to be completely immune to physical attacks, so in order to overcome him, I had to enter the astral plane."

"The what?" asked Tai and Davis.

"The astral plane," explained Yolei, "the realm where the mind and spirit exist outside of physical bodies and limitations."

"How on earth did you get there?" Izzy wanted to know.

"A long story," said George, "and I can tell Matt's getting impatient, so I'll have to tell you another time."

"What does any of this have to do with why you never told us who the Digimon Emperor is?" asked Cody.

"Well, you see," said George reluctantly, "the reason Ken turned evil wasn't because I trained him. It was because of the manner with which I had trained him."

"How do you figure?" asked Mimi.

"Well," began George, "I was always overly cautious while training him, as though I was dealing with a ticking time bomb. My attitude was standoffish and I never really treated him like the child he was, but the monster I knew he would become…I wasn't very fair to him."

"…and the only reason you treated him like that," began Izzy, whose eyes were starting to widen.

"Was because I had heard Griffinmon's prophecy," finished George, "if I hadn't heard it, I would have treated him better and would not have let him wander the world alone for a month. My actions, or lack thereof, are what caused Ken Ichijouji to become the Digimon Emperor."

"Which is what you meant when you said your colleague was correct in saying you should have trained him from the start," concluded Sora.

"Indeed," said George hanging his head, "the first tipoff I had that my methods were incorrect was after he had healed from his encounter with Millenniummon. He was aloof and seemed more distant than he had in a while. Before he was always smiling, and very friendly, despite my attitude, but he had suddenly transformed after his near death. I often feel that if I had been there for him a little more than I actually was, he wouldn't have turned out this way…"

"So you blame yourself for the Emperor's reign of terror," finished Kari, "and you were afraid we would blame you as well."

"Actually," said Matt coldly, "I think he was more worried about damaging his pride. He is supposedly 'perfect,' remember? Now he has a tarnished reputation."

With that, the rock star stomped coldly out of the room, picking up his guitar case along the way. George meanwhile walked over to the corner of the room and was standing facing the wall, hands clasped behind his back, and remaining perfectly silent.

Eventually, DemiVeemon broke the silence.

"Now what?" asked the tiny blue bipedal dinosaur.

"A good question indeed," remarked Cody, "and I have an answer."

"Oh?" asked Izzy, "what do you propose we do Cody?"

"We need to take the fight to Ken Ichijouji and not the Digimon Emperor," replied the 4th grader.

"Aren't they the same person?" asked Davis.

"What he means is we should confront Ken while he's in the real world," explained Sora, "and that's not a bad idea."

"Unfortunately, it is probably exactly what Ken is expecting," said Izzy, "since he knows that we know his identity."

"Still," said Joe, "there's not much he can do while he's here in the real world right?"

"Quite correct," said Izzy, "even if Ken is capable of transporting digimon into the real world, what good will it do him without his Control Spires, and he can't bring those into the real world now can he?" (A/N: epic foreshadowing FTW!)

"So where do we confront him?" asked Tai, "and when?"

"Obviously we confront him ASAP," replied Izzy, "and as for where, might I suggest his apartment?"

"A good idea," remarked Cody, "if we get there before he does, we can cut him off from his computer."

"And," continued Izzy, "we can likely gain a lot of information from his personal computer."

"Do you think you can take out the Emperor's security then Izzy?" asked Mimi.

"…not likely," said the genius, "not if he was trained by George."

"Well I suppose that means he's needed for the mission then," said Cody, "it's the least he can do after not telling us who the Emperor is sooner."

"You go tell him that," said Tai nervously glancing towards George who seemed to be in a deep meditative state.

DemiVeemon, not perturbed by the fallen warriors self inflicted catatonic state, walked over to George and poked him. Nothing happened. After several more failed poking attempts, DemiVeemon shrugged and walked away, but Davis was determined to wake up the meditating warrior. He walked over to George and pulled back a fist.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you Mr. Motamiya," said a voice causing Davis to jump ten feet in the air.

Crocmon stepped out from behind one of the computers where he had been resting.

"George is trying to analyze the situation carefully," continued the reptilian digimon, "interrupting him could be dangerous."

"Well, we already figured out what we're going to do," said Davis, pulling his fist back again, "he doesn't have to do all the thinking around here."

As Davis's fist flew towards George, the fallen warrior casually grabbed it and flipped Davis over and through the open window. A thud was heard as the gogglehead hit the ground two stories below. Tai, Sora and Joe immediately ran down to help him.

"What'd he do that for?" demanded Kari, "he got mad at Davis for attacking Matt and now he flipped Davis out the window!"

"Automated defense," replied Crocmon, "whenever George is deeply meditating, his body reacts to threats on its own. It's a technique George forced himself to learn after several mishaps during our original adventure in the Digital World."

"Well how does one wake him up without getting owned?" Yolei asked.

"Easy," said Crocmon walking over towards his partner, "Mr. Helltower, are you free?"

Immediately, George jumped up in shock. His eyes widened as he took in his surroundings.

"I suppose so," he muttered after calming down, "what's up?"

"How'd you do that?" whispered Izzy.

"Catch phrase," whispered Crocmon, "he also trained himself to respond to that should it become necessary for him to exit his meditative state prematurely."

"But why that phrase?" asked Mimi.

"An inside joke referring to one of George's father's favorite TV shows," replied Crocmon (A/N: I do not own Are You Being Served, I have just been watching too much of it lately…), "when George was younger, he and his father used to watch that show all the time. It reminded George of home while he was trapped in the Digital World."

"Are you all going to stand around whispering, or is someone going to explain why I was woken up?" demanded the former gogglehead, "…by the way, what happened to Tai, Sora, Joe, and Davis?"

A groan could be heard from below, and George stuck his head out the window. He immediately withdrew it looking somewhat confused.

"Is Davis really so stupid as to throw himself out the window?" he asked.

"No," replied Cody, "you threw him out the window."

Crocmon whispered in George's ear and the Warrior of Power shook his head.

"Oops," he remarked.

"Yes well," began Yolei, "the reason Davis was trying to attract your attention is because we've come up with a plan."

"Oh?" said George, "do tell…"

"We will arrive at Ken's home while he is away," explained Cody, "and we shall wait there to ambush him before he can travel to the Digital World."

"In the meantime," continued Izzy, "we need you to download as much information as possible off of Ken's computer."

"…that could work," said George, "in theory, but how will we know when Ken's not home?"

"When he's at school," replied Izzy.

"But then you all will be at school as well," remarked George, "although I'm more than happy to go in alone, I don't know if that is a good idea."

"I tend to agree with that statement," said Cody.

"So how will we know when he's out?" asked a frustrated Mimi.

"Perhaps with a little convincing, your principal would be inclined to allow me to take you all out of school for the day," suggested George.

"Do you think you could pull that off?" asked Izzy.

"Maybe not all of you, but most of you," replied the former gogglehead.

"…that could work," said Yolei.

"Then I'll get right on it," said George picking up his cell phone.

* * *

As Ken Ichijouji sat at his computer, he realized that it was only a matter of time before the Digidestined came for him. Knowing them, they'd try to cut him off from his computer, which meant that the most likely time they'd come after him was during school hours when he wouldn't be home, but Ken had a plan to take care of that…

Looking rather pale, the boy genius staggered from his room, doing his best to look tired and haggard. He wandered down the hall to the living room where his parents were sitting.

"Oh Ken!" exclaimed his mother, "you look terrible!"

"What happened to you son?" demanded his father.

"I don't feel so well," replied the devious delinquent, "maybe I should stay home from school tomorrow."

"Okay Ken," replied his mother, "I'll call the principal right away!"

"You rest up son!" said his father, "we wouldn't want you to over exert yourself."

As Ken hobbled back to his room, he flashed an evil smile. That was almost too easy…now to deal with the imminent arrival of his foes.

* * *

The next day saw George, Mimi, TK, Cody, Kari, Yolei, and a slightly out of it Davis standing in the Tamachi Train station; their digimon partners carefully hidden from view.

George was looking confusedly at a nearby map.

"This doesn't make any sense," he mumbled.

"That's because you're looking at it upside down," remarked Kari, nearly giggling.

"Oh really?" asked the fallen warrior, as he flipped himself right-side-up, "that's not how it is in the Digital World."

Cody pushed the confused Helltower aside and glanced quickly at the map.

"Ken's apartment is three blocks west of here," he said, "let's go!"

"I'd be willing to bet he's expecting us," muttered TK.

"Then we'll just have to be on our guard," said Mimi cheerfully.

The group began walking west. As they approached the Ichijouji apartment, they failed to notice they were being watched.

* * *

"Excellent!" thought Ken as he watched the procession advance along the street, "they'll fall right into my trap, and I'll be rid of them once and for all!"

The boy genius quickly shut the curtains and walked towards his personal computer. After making a few adjustments, he held up his digivice. A flash of light later, he was gone.

* * *

"Oh man!" thought Tai, as his teacher passed out surprise math exams, "why couldn't George get me out of class too?"

The gogglehead glanced at the clock, by now the others would have arrived at the Ichijouji apartment and were laying in wait. They had realized they couldn't get there too early or else they'd have to spend the whole day in the area, but they'd have to get there reasonably early in order to download Ken's files before he got home.

Tai groaned internally, thinking about the others didn't make his exam go any quicker. He glanced down at the first problem.

**If f(x) = 4x – 7 and g(x) = 8 – 10x, solve 2f(3) – .5g(7). Show your work and explain how you got your solution.**

"Aw man!" thought Tai frantically, "I'll never finish this on time!"

* * *

"Okay, according to the directory, Ken's apartment is 5G," said TK, looking up from the directory in question.

"Good," said George, "now we should have someone stay here and keep an eye out for Ken."

"I'll stay!" said Mimi enthusiastically, "as soon as I see Ken, I'll send you all an email!"

"How?" asked Davis, "you don't have a mini computer."

"But I have this!" exclaimed the pink princess happily pulling out the latest Blackberry Smartphone, "and it comes with Internet connection!"

"Fancypants," muttered Yolei, a little jealous that her parents couldn't afford to spend so much money on her since she wasn't an only child.

"Troops forward!" exclaimed George, as he walked into the apartment complex's lobby.

The others, sans Mimi, who took a seat on a nearby park bench, followed suit.

One elevator ride later, they found themselves positioned outside of the Ichijouji apartment's front door.

"Alright," said George, "we've got to tread carefully here. What's our excuse for dropping by?"

"We're friends of Ken, of course," said Davis, "and we came to check up on him after his soccer injury yesterday."

"And when she says Ken's not home?" pressed George, "what do we do then?"

"Ask if we can wait here for him," answered Davis proudly.

"Excellent!" said George, thumping Davis on the back, nearly causing him to fall over, "you've memorized the plan, but do you know how to improvise?"

"Impro-who now?" asked Davis.

"Nevermind, just knock," said Cody irritably, he couldn't help but feel like George was stalling.

Kari knocked, and soon the door was opened by Mrs. Ichijouji.

"Hello," she said smiling, "you're a little earlier than I expected."

George froze, they were expected?

"Do you have Ken's homework?" continued Mrs. Ichijouji, prompting George to temporarily sigh in relief.

"Yes ma'am," he answered while the others were staring confusedly, "is Ken in his room?"

"Oh yes," said his mother, then looked again, "a little old for a student aren't you?"

"Yes," said George, "I am not a middle school student, but rather a college student. Ken's been taking some courses with me. I was upset to see he was ill today."

"It was that soccer game yesterday," said Ken's mother as she stood aside to let them in, "one of the other team's players accidentally hurt Ken's shin. The poor soul; he hasn't been the same since…"

"I understand," said George, as he led the others inside, "we'll just go drop off his homework then."

"Okay," said Mrs. Ichijouji smiling.

George led the others down the hall, and observed carefully as Mrs. Ichijouji returned to the kitchen to resume cooking. As she hummed happily, George led the others into the study, and closed the door.

"What's going on?" demanded Davis.

"Apparently, we were expected," said George, "Ken decided to take the day off from school."

"What do we do now?" asked Kari, looking concerned.

"Since we're already here, it would be prudent to continue," said Cody, "he can't stop all of us."

"True," mused George, "but if he is expecting us, perhaps he has already retreated into the Digital World."

"No point in debating it," said Yolei, "we should head into his room and find out."

"Agreed," said TK, "if he's there, we can capture him, and if he isn't we can get to his computer unobstructed."

"It's a win-win," said Yolei.

"Maybe…" said George hesitantly, "I highly doubt it will be that easy."

"You yourself said the Emperor doesn't have powers in this world," snapped Cody, "I think you just want to protect your pride!"

"That's not true…" said George quietly, but aloud he said, "very well Mr. Hida, if you insist, we shall procede onwards."

As the Digidestined were exiting the study, a picture on the desk caught George's eye.

"You go on ahead," he said, "I'll be right behind you. I've got to use the restroom."

When the last Digidestined (Cody) exited the study, George picked up the photograph. It was of a boy not much older than Ken was now. He wore glasses and smiled as though perfectly carefree.

"Interesting," thought George, as he followed the others out of the study.

Carefully, the Digidestined crept down the halway towards Ken's room. As they approached, Davis instinctively reached for his digivice.

"There won't be any need for that Mr. Motamiya," said George quietly, as he caught up, "if Ken is in there, I know how to make him come with us."

They stood now in front of the door. George nodded, and Kari opened the door.

As expected, the room was empty save the furniture and the computer, which was still glowing as they entered the room.

"…so he only just left," said Cody.

George walked over to the window and looked out it. Below he could see Mimi sitting on the park bench, as well as the avenue in front of the apartment complex.

"He must have seen us coming," remarked the fallen warrior.

"Either way, we can still download the contents of his hard drive," said TK, "so the mission isn't a total failure."

George shrugged and took out a flashdrive.

"This won't take too long," he said, "in the interim, I'd suggest a few of you pretend to scour the house looking for Ken. It won't do for Mrs. Ichijouji to believe that Ken was actually here when we arrived. If she asks, just tell her you haven't finished scouting the apartment yet. When I leave his room, we can inform her he's gone."

"What will that do?" asked Yolei.

"That will possibly make his parents check up on him more," said George, "which will limit the amount of time he can spend in the Digital World."

"Good thinking!" exclaimed TK, and he, Kari, and Davis left Ken's room.

George plugged the flashdrive into the computer, sat down, and began typing. However, a few moments later, the others returned with a very worried Mrs. Ichijouji.

"Where's Ken?" she asked.

"I-I don't know," said George.

"Well what're you doing to his computer?" asked Mrs. Ichijouji.

"I'm looking to see if Ken left a message for why he's not here," said George nervously, "that's all."

"Oh," said Mrs. Ichijouji, "okay then. I'll stay here and watch then. Your friends can continue looking around the apartment…by the way, is that girl on the bench outside a friend of yours? She's been sitting on that bench outside for a while."

"Ummm, yeah," said George, "she's my uh, girlfriend."

"Wow," thought TK, "George must be really nervous to lie as clumsily as that."

Luckily, Mrs. Ichijouji was more concerned about the location of her son and not the infeasibility of George's potential relationship with a high school girl.

George nodded, and once again TK, Kari, and Davis exited Ken's room. Under Mrs. Ichijouji's gaze, George continued to type onto Ken's computer. Cody and Yolei noticed he was nervous because he was starting to sweat buckets.

Eventually, George pressed Enter, and sat back. The computer took a second to process the commands given, and displayed a screen with several words on it.

**My dear Mr. Helltower,**

**I knew you'd try to gather information using this computer, so I decided to leave you a message.**

"What's going on?" asked Mrs. Ichijouji worriedly.

"Oh no," said George, as the words changed yet again.

**It looks as though I have outsmarted you again. As you must realize I'm always at least five steps ahead of you. **

The message changed yet again, the letters glowing earily in the low light.

**There is nothing left for me in this world, and as such I have decided to leave it…for good. **

**From now on, I shall be a thorn in the Digital World's side every hour of every day.**

George ground his teeth as the message continued.

**Farewell my unworthy adversary. It has been my pleasure to defeat you.**

**Signed,**

**The Digimon Emperor.**

"What does he mean by—" began Yolei, but then the computer displayed a '5'.

"Shit!" swore George, as he quickly turned around, "get out!"

With inhuman speed, George pushed the three others out of the room and shut the door, just before the countdown hit 0.

A small explosion was heard, as the door rocked on its hinges, but held.

"What's going on?" asked Mrs. Ichijouji in a state of frightened confusion.

"George!" yelled Yolei, as she [very nearly] tore the door down.

The room was a wreck. The computer was blasted into a million tiny, scattered, pieces, the furniture was broken and covered in ashes, Ken's desk was still smoldering slightly, the window was shattered and bits of the ceiling had fallen down. However, amidst all the rubble, there was no sign of George.

Narrator: Where has George gone? Has the Emperor managed to finally kill him once and for all? Find out next time on Digimon: Digital Monsters!

Note: Just in case you usually skip my shtick, please note that there is more to this episode after this break.

* * *

21: I apologize for the length being shorter than usual. This episode will likely get extended shortly, but I figured that I had reached a suitable breaking point and that my loyal readers deserved some new material to read.

George: ...so let's deal with the bigger problem, how are we going to get out of our contracts with the Sponsor?

Sponsor: You're not! (Insert maniacal evil laugh here) You're mine for eternity!

To be continued...right now!

21: As promised, here is the addendum to episode 9. Although it has in essence become a separate episode, it was originally not intended as such, and therefore I am attaching it here instead of as a separate chapter, and have renamed the whole segment "Of Light and Darkness part 1". This is a stylistic thing that's only for this chapter since I posted it in two parts. (Also, the end turned out a little differently from what I was originally expecting, but then again it makes more sense to me the way it turned out...)

Sponsor: I shall once again point out that The21stMartian does not own Digimon, even though I did so earlier...just to cover all the bases.

George: and now...on with the fic!

Episode 9.5: The Hunt for Helltower

(Cody): "Last time, George told us about his knowledge of Ken Ichijouji. We decided it would be prudent to attack Ken in his apartment, but when we got there, Ken sprang a trap. His computer exploded, George managed to push us all out of the room before the explosion. When we returned to Ken's destroyed room, however, George had disappeared without a trace."

As Yolei, Cody, and Mrs. Ichijouji stared into the disheveled, empty, room, TK, Kari, and Davis ran over.

"We heard a loud noise," said Davis, "what's happened?"

Yolei pointed and the other three looked into the room.

"Where's George?" asked TK.

Once again, Yolei pointed, and Kari gasped.

"In there?" she said, "tell me he wasn't—"

"The computer was rigged to explode," explained Cody, "only George's fast reflexes saved us…but he couldn't save himself."

"We need to go and tell the others," said TK, "by now they should be out of class."

Davis nodded, and the Digidestined ran out of the Ichijouji apartment leaving behind a confused Mrs. Ichijouji, who eventually decided to call the police, but that is irelevent at this point in the narrative.

Upon informing Mimi of the developments, the pink princess quickly phoned the older Digidestined to tell them what had happened, and that they were heading back to Odaiba to determine what to do next. In the meantime, the available older Digidestined were to try and figure out, if George was in fact alive, where he would be.

As the younger Digidestined (and Mimi) ran towards the train station, they began to wonder if they would ever see George again.

* * *

Moments before the explosion, George, who had in fact survived, held up his digivice to the computer. As a result, he had been sucked into whatever territory the Emperor had transported himself to beforehand.

Unfortunately, due to the computer's explosion, the portal began quickly closing behind the fallen warrior, and as such, he had had a particularly bumpy ride. He landed roughly, which caused his sunglasses to fall off. Dizzily, George groped around on the ground for his eye apparel for a few moments before finding them and putting them back on.

When the world finally stopped spinning, George looked at his surroundings. He was on a coast. A narrow strip of beach was immediately in front of him, with a vast, dark gray ocean stretching out into infinity beyond that. The sand was dull gray, and there was a lot of gray driftwood lying scattered around the beach. A lighthouse, painted with white and gray stripes, was standing not too far away, but instead of the usual bright light, this lighthouse was sending out black rays of light towards the vast ocean. Behind him was a dull gray rocky wasteland. Further down the beach were several dilapidated beach houses, their roofs caving in, and dull gray weeds overtaking the crumbling walls. Above, the dull gray sky blocked out all sunlight for as far as the eye could see, yet there were no clouds that were visible to George. The only sound was that of the dark gray waves pounding against the beach.

"What a desolate place this is," thought George, "I've never been here before…which is weird considering I thought that I'd been everywhere in the DigiWorld."

"Well, well, well," came a voice from above, "Mr. Helltower, so you survived the explosion."

Without turning, George addressed the newcomer.

"Hello Ken," he said casually, "fancy seeing you here."

"I figured you'd survive," drawled the tyrant, "and so I was prepared."

"Where are we?" asked the fallen warrior.

"Don't you know?" mocked the Emperor, "I thought nothing in this world was unknown to you."

Upon seeing George's blank expression, the Emperor sighed.

"Very well," he drawled regally, "I shall tell you. We are not actually in the Digital World, at least not the one you are familiar with. We are, in fact, in another Digital World occupying the same space, but in a different dimension."

"How could you get us here?" asked George.

"Trade secret," said the Emperor smiling, "a little computer knowledge goes a long way."

"Why did you bring us here?" asked George.

"Because once I leave, there's no way for you to escape!" revealed the tyrant.

"Well then," said George casually, "forgive me if I don't let you out of my sight for a while."

"Funny you should say that…" said the Emperor snapping his fingers.

Immediately, a group of Airdramon appeared behind him, all of which had Dark Rings encircling their bodies.

"There must be a Control Spire here," thought George scanning the surroundings once again, "but where is it?"

As he was looking around, one of the Airdramon rushed him and lashed out its tail. Luckily, George saw and reacted in time. Unfortunately, he was not quite fast enough; the tail clipped his nose and knocked off his sunglasses once again.

"Shit!" thought George, "this is bad…"

* * *

"Alright," said Izzy, "I've got George's surveilence system scanning the entire Digital World for him. If he's found, an icon in the shape of George's Crest will appear on the corresponding sector square on our map."

"…and if the system fails to find him?" asked Sora.

"Then we know for fact that he is not in the Digital World," replied Izzy.

"Are you sure?" asked Tai, "there are no blind spots?"

"Only George's home on Upload Island," said Izzy, "and I already know he's not there."

"How?" asked Joe nervously.

"If he had been there, Crocmon would have reported it," said Izzy, "TK sent him there as soon as they left the Ichijouji's."

"How long will this scan take?" demanded Matt, "I've got a makeup practice this evening thanks to George's meeting last night."

"I don't know," said Izzy pressing the Start button.

A progress bar appeared on the map program. Immediately, most of Upload Island was searched to no avail. The corresponding squares turned gray on the screen, and the bar loaded a little.

There was silence for a little while as the search on Upload Island was completed and the nearby oceans began being searched. Eventually, Tai broke the silence.

"…what do we do if George isn't in the Digital World?" he asked.

"If he isn't in the Digital World, and he hasn't contacted us," said Izzy, "we have to assume he's dead."

"…but if the explosion killed him, wouldn't he be reborn as a DigiEgg?" asked Matt, "the guy's practically immortal!"

"Practically being the key word Matt," said Izzy, "George once told me that there were two ways of killing him. The first was by destroying his DigiEgg before it hatched. The second was to kill him in the real world. You see, only part of George is Digital, so when he is killed in the real world, only part of him would get deleted, and thus only part of him would be available to be reconfigured. In the Digital World, even his human components are digitized, and therefore they get deleted as well, so that he can fully reform in the DigiEgg."

"…so if he isn't in the Digital World," began Sora.

"Don't think about it yet," said Joe, "it's still very likely he managed to get himself out of danger."

"I hope you're right Joe," said Tai.

Matt simply grunted, he was sure George was just hiding to attract attention.

The progress bar showed about 5% complete.

* * *

"You should have just let the explosion take you out Helltower," called the Emperor, "because at least then you'd be dead. As it stands, a fate worse than death awaits you."

As he fumbled around for his sunglasses, George was being assaulted by the Airdramon.

"Wing Cutter!"

The lead Airdramon slashed its wings violently sending two blades of pure air crashing towards George, who reared back and accidentally crushed his shades.

Faced with no other choice, the former gogglehead turned and ran towards the dilapidated shanties, picking up his shattered sunglasses along the way.

Laughing, the Emperor, alias Ken Ichijouji, turned and walked away.

"So long my former teacher," were his parting words, "I do hope you enjoy yourself."

* * *

"This is ridiculous!" said Matt, "we know George is in the Digital World. He's just fooling around and making us worry!"

"No," said Mimi (having arrived with the others a short time beforehand), "that's not like him. If he had been able to, he'd have sent us a message by now, especially given the ambiguity of his survival."

"…wait," said Davis, "did the cheerleader just use a word that was over three syllables long?"

Mimi blushed.

"Izzy must be rubbing off on me," she mumbled.

Tai was staring holes into the computer screen.

The progress bar read 51% and there was still no sign of George…

* * *

Having taken temporary shelter in the abandoned beach huts, George began to consider his situation. His sunglasses sparked and fizzled in a useless mess of plastic and wires, and he didn't have the tools to repair them at the moment. Although no one aside from George knew it, this was a bigger problem than most people would think.

This wasn't simply a wardrobe malfunction; this meant the loss of George's eyesight.

Seeing as how George was roughly 9000 years old, his human eye had deteriorated significantly. Even his digital eye was losing its sight considering it had kept all the files of what George had seen over the years, and the allotted memory space was nearly used up. Not wanting people to know he was almost blind, George had started wearing sunglasses after his original goggles were destroyed during his battle with Millenniummon. Instead of regular tinted lenses, however, George had installed prescription lenses to compensate for his lack of eyesight. He then covered those from the outside with tiny LED screens over which he put the heavily tinted plastic lenses. It had made nighttime a little challenging for a while, but eventually, in the fifth prototype, George had managed to install a night vision correctional view.

Additionally, it also put George out of communication with his comrades as he didn't have a mini computer or cellphone like the other Digidestined since he used his sunglasses for both.

"Alright then," thought George, "I'm on my own, and I can't see…just like old times!"

Cackling madly, the Warrior of Power dashed out of his hideout and charged straight towards the dragonish shaped blurs.

* * *

"Still nothing," said Izzy, as the progress bar read 85%, "and most of the remaining territory belongs to the Emperor."

"…so even if he is in the Digital World, it's likely he's in trouble," said Tai.

"I suppose that would explain why he hasn't bothered to call us," said Matt.

"You're sure there are no blind spots with this surveilence system?" asked Cody.

"Well," said Izzy, "that's what George said, but since Ken was George's protégé, I'm sure that he knows how to work around the hidden cameras…"

"So could George, in theory, not show up on the radar, but still be in the Digital World?" asked Yolei.

"It's possible," replied the resident genius, "but not likely. If George was in the Digital World, even if he couldn't communicate, he'd be doing his best to remain visible so that we could find him."

"…so if we don't find him in the Digital World…" began Joe.

"I'd say there's an 85% probability that he's dead," concluded Izzy.

The Digidestined shuddered as they glanced at the screen once again.

The progress bar was just approaching 90%...

* * *

"Banzai!" shouted George, as he leapt atop the nearest dragon shaped blob. Unfortunately, it was only a funny shaped rock.

"Fiddlesticks," muttered George, as he dodged the attacks of the remaining Airdramon.

Charging up for an attack of his own, George began collecting energy from his surroundings. He noticed that the energy felt cold and dark, as opposed to the usual bright and warm energy he was used to. It felt weird, but he continued charging and dodging until he was ready.

"Pentagram Laser!"

Spinning around in a perfect circle, George blasted the remaining Airdramon with a black energy blast in the form of a pentagram. Unfortunately, due to his lack of sight, finding the Dark Rings was impossible, so he had to make due with hitting them wherever he could with non-lethal, but KO inducing attacks. He knew this was only a temporary measure, but it would have to do until he found the Control Spire…not that he hadn't figured out where it was, it was in the lighthouse, but he couldn't find said lighthouse due to his lack of vision.

When the last Airdramon hit the ground, George dashed off in a random direction hoping to find shelter. He quickly found a dark tunnel. Strangly enough, there were lights in the tunnel, but, like the lighthouse, these lights only gave off black light. The tunnel was mon-made, and the walls were paved with gray bricks.

"It'll do," thought George, as he ducked inside and pulled his busted sunglasses out of his pocket, "now to try and repair the phone…"

* * *

The Digidestined stared intently at the screen as the progress bar reached 99%. There were only a few remote sectors left that George could have been sent to, and they were deep within the Emperor's territory.

"Come to think of it," said Izzy trying to maintain a positive attitude, "since he went through the Emperor's computer, it's fairly likely that he wound up so deep in the Emperor's domain…"

Still, the last remaining sectors turned up negative, as the progress bar finally arrived at 100% complete.

Silence followed this revelation.

"He's gone," sighed Kari tears welling in her eyes.

"Now hold on a blasted minute!" shouted Matt as the sob-fest began, "I don't know about you, but I'm not ready to give up just yet!"

"But George isn't in the Digital World, and he wasn't at the Ichijouji's," said Izzy, "logically, that means he's dead."

"Think about what you're saying for one minute," continued Matt, "George has been through a literal hell surviving through even Millenniummon's rampage, and you're saying he was killed by a simple explosion?"

"Look Matt," said Izzy, "part of the reason George was able to survive so much is that he was able to be reformed since he was in the Digital World…that's not possible here. If he got hit by the explosion, he's dead, simple as that."

"But there was no sign of him at the Ichijouji's," persisted Tai, "if he had died, at least his human parts would have remained right?"

"That is true…" said Izzy, "but perhaps they were just missed in the excitement. Someone should check the news. If they found conclusive evidence of a body, it would be reported."

The Digidestined each took a computer, except for Davis who went to the nearest television and turned it on.

Suddenly, Izzy's phone rang. The boy genius grabbed it, looked at the caller ID, and yelped.

"It's George," he said, "…or at least that's what caller ID says."

"Well pick it up already!" exclaimed Yolei.

Izzy picked up the phone and put it on speaker.

"George?" he inquired, "we've been worried. Where are you?"

A rush of static was heard from the other end, but eventually, George's voice broke through…in bits and pieces.

"Izzy…trapped…altern…uni…se…no way out…..."

"George," said Izzy, "we can't hear you very clearly. What's wrong?"

"…phone…broken…Emperor…ocean…lighthouse…Spire…destroy…"

"I didn't quite catch that," said Izzy, "please repeat."

"Time…running…out…..help!"

"George!" shouted Izzy, but it was no good, after that cryptic message, the line was dead.

"See?" said Matt triumphantly, "he is alive!"

"…and with a broken phone, it's no wonder he couldn't contact us earlier," reasoned Cody, "it must have sustained damaged when George landed…wherever it is he landed."

"A good deduction Cody," said Izzy, "…but where exactly did George land?"

"He mentioned something that sounded suspiciously like alternate universe," said Yolei, "and the Emperor."

"He also said that there's no way out," said Cody.

"That's bullshit!" spat Davis, "if there was a way in, there must be a way out!"

"Well, perhaps there's no way out from within," suggested Izzy, "rather you'd need someone to open the portal for you from the other side."

"…but who on earth could we get that knows about portals and alternate universes?" asked Tai.

"How about Genai?" asked Izzy, "he might know a way to get George back."

"IF we can find him," reminded Matt, "he's always been a slippery one."

"And according to George's message, we don't have much time," added TK.

"Excuse me," came a voice from the main computer, "but I think I can help."

"Crocmon!" exclaimed Kari, "are we glad to see you."

"Yes well, George's message got played back here too," said the reptilian digimon, "it seems as though my partner is in a bit of a predicament."

"Yes," agreed Izzy, "he's trapped in an alternate universe with no way out from the inside. We figured that maybe Gennai could help, but none of us know where to find him…if he's not home that is."

"Have no fear!" said the reptilian digimon, "I shall find Gennai!"

"By yourself?" asked Davis skeptically, "that could take months!"

"Not if you know where to look," said the mini crocodile winking.

With that, George's partner signed off.

"Well," sighed Sora, "it looks like all we can do at this point is trust Crocmon."

"His partner's fate is in his hands," remarked Joe, "he will not fail."

* * *

"Damn!" shouted George as the line went dead, "I hope they understood my message…"

Suddenly, George heard footsteps from further within the tunnel. Not wanting to be seen, the Warrior of Power hid himself in a shadowy corner as the steps grew louder. Several shadowy figures could be seen ambling towards George's position.

"It won't do you any good to hide," croaked one of the figures, "we can see in the dark."

George stepped out of his hiding place, palms out in a gesture of peace.

"I'm sorry to disturb you," he said, "but I got trapped here by the Digimon Emperor. Do you know a way out?"

"A way out?" asked the lead figure, "certainly. Follow us…"

The figures, which resembled little more than shadowy blobs with arms, legs, and a head, began shuffling in the direction George had come from.

"Are you sure there's an exit that way?" asked George suspiciously.

"Absolutely," said one of the figures, "you must have missed it."

Shrugging, George once again pocketed his damaged shades and followed the mysterious figures.

* * *

Crocmon reappeared on the screen.

"Hey guys," he said, "the good news is I found Gennai."

An old, bald man appeared next to the reptilian digimon.

"The bad news is," said the old man, "I've got no clue as to how to find George."

"He's in an alternate universe," said Izzy.

"I know that!" said Gennai, "but you must realize there are an infinite amount of alternate universes out there."

"Well Ken's digivice was able to open a portal to this one," said Cody, "so it stands to reason we should be able to do so as well."

"Unfortunately," began Gennai, "although your digivices are similar to the Emperor's, his is powered by a dark energy, which is likely what allowed him to open the portal to the particular universe where he stored George."

"…so what you're saying is," prompted TK, "our digivices are useless in this situation."

"Exactly," said Gennai, "the only one who could open that portal is Ken Ichijouji."

"And he's not very likely to do so," added Yolei.

Suddenly, Kari got very pale and nearly collapsed. Tai and Gatomon ran over to her.

"Kari!" they shouted, "what's wrong?"

"The darkness," muttered Kari, as her eyes began rolling wildly, "it's coming!"

"Say what now?" asked DemiVeemon.

Joe walked over to Kari. He pulled a thermometer out of his pack and checked her temperature.

"She's burning up," he said, "get a towel and soak it in cold water!"

Tai and Davis ran off towards the nearest restroom, as Kari lay on the computer lab floor shivering.

* * *

Moments before, in the realm of darkness where George was stashed, the shadowy blobs had led George to the coast. Dark waves splashed about on his feet. He shivered involuntarily, this place felt wrong to him, and the sooner he got out of here the better.

One of the figures pushed George forwards towards the neverending ocean with its clammy hand.

"Onward," croaked the figure, "our Master will be able to open a portal to your world."

"Your master?" asked George curiously.

"The great and mighty ruler of this universe," explained the figure, "we are but his humble servants."

"…and just where does your master live?" asked the videogame tycoon.

"In the ocean," replied the figure.

Not knowing what else to do, George followed the figures into the ocean. Suddenly, there was a tremendous blast of wind, the Airdramon were back, and they weren't happy.

They launched attack after attack upon the poor shadowy figures, who were unable to defend themselves. They burst into tiny pixels as they were deleted.

"Shit!" swore George, who could barely see anything going on around him.

Abruptly, the ocean began churning as a massive whirlpool formed not far from where George was standing. The fallen warrior had to struggle to avoid being overwhelmed by the rapid currents formed by the whirlpool. Out of the whirlpool emerged an immense figure. Not being able to see, George could only guess that this was the mysterious ruler the now dead figures had informed him of.

"Incorrigible beasts!" rumbled the giant being, "you shall pay for killing my servants!"

Before George could protest, the figure opened what George assumed was its mouth and spewed out a dark void, which engulfed the Airdramon and completely obliterated them.

"There was no need to do that!" yelled George from below, "they were being controlled by the Digimon Emperor!"

"Ah," said the figure looking down, "you must be the almighty George Helltower. My servants informed me of your arrival here."

"Yes," said George, "I was hoping you could open a portal for me to go home."

The figure's blue eyes glowed evilly.

"Oh I'll open a portal alright," said the figure, as he reached out and grabbed George, "but you're not going home any time soon."

"What?" was all George had time to say before the mighty monarch smashed his head upon the rocks of the coast, effectively knocking him out cold.

"Now then," said the figure grabbing the tag on George's chest, "let's have this returned to its rightful owner."

The tag's string snapped, and George's crest was taken by the mighty ruler. As it transferred hands, the lightning shaped symbol disappeared and was replaced by a skull and crossbones.

"They may have tried to disguise you, but I can always feel your presence…my Crest of Darkness."

* * *

"I can't imagine what caused this," said Joe nervously, "she was fine one moment, and the next…"

Kari lay on the floor covered in a cold sweat. Her eyes were rolling frantically, and she was shivering uncontrollably. She kept muttering about the darkness and how it was going to destroy them all.

Gennai peer curiously as far as the view from the Digital World would allow. He had heard of something that might cause this, something dreadful that could have dire consequences.

"The balance between light and dark has been shifted," remarked the old man quietly so that only Crocmon could hear him, "Kari is reacting to the appearance of the Crest of Darkness."

Crocmon's eyes widened.

"But that would mean," he began.

"Not necessarily," said Gennai, "depending on where George is, it could be the Crest's original owner…"

"Which would place George in the dimension of Darkness," said Crocmon, "and he's right. There is no way out from within."

"Which begs the question, how did Ken get out?" asked Gennai, "I highly doubt he'd trust his slaves to help him escape…"

"Well, we can bet that if George is in the dimension of Darkness, the Crest's old owner will be trying to find and destroy the counterpart Crest," said Gennai.

"The Crest of Light…" finished Crocmon.

The two turned back towards the TV.

"Bring Kari to the Digital World," said Gennai, "immediately!"

* * *

As he lay on the rocks, George began to regain consciousness. Blood leaked from the wound on his head.

"What happened?" he thought, "did the Airdramon get me?"

A sudden flash of lightning in the sky illuminated the giant figure on the horizon. For a few seconds, George could plainly see the two horns protruding from the hooded head, and the wings emerging from behind the cloaked figure's body. A pair of cold blue eyes were the only visible features of this creature's face. A silver medallion dangled from his neck. His hands were white with red nails, and in one of them was clutched a small pendant.

Automatically, George's hand shot to his chest as he groped for that which he knew was not there.

"Oh no!" he thought, "not you! Not now!"

Narrator: Who is this mysterious figure that George is worried about? What will he do with George's Crest? Find out next time on Digimon: Digital Monsters!

* * *

21: Not too shabby eh?

George: Pretty good if I say so myself...just one question. WHY AM I BLIND?

21: You're not blind, just visually impaired. This was a little change I had thought of introducing at the end of the Millenniummon saga, but since this came first...

Sponsor: Alright you two! No more talking! Back to work!

21: What if I were to say no?

Sponsor: Then I'd fire you and have someone else write these stories. To be honest I've been thinking about it anyways. It'd make a lot more sense if anyone else wrote it. Your head is full of nonsense.

21: Why thank you!

Sponsor: I really don't know why I put up with you and your bullshit so much. I think after this I really will fire you.

21: Question, will you sign off on today's episode, just to show that I actually updated this month?

Sponsor (grumbles and takes the proffered sheet of paper): Fine

21 and George (grin)

Sponsor (signs the sheet and gives it back to 21): What's so amusing? Wipe those smirks off your faces this instant! I command you!

George: You're not the boss of me, now get me a cappuccino!

Sponsor: You can't order me around. Your contract clearly states-

21: I'm afraid said contract, as well my own, is completely void.

Sponsor: What? How is that possible?

21 (holds up the sheet the Sponsor signed): You did it yourself!

Sponsor (rips up 21 and George's contracts and starts swearing)

George: There. there old timer. Why don't you leave and get a nice rest. 21 will try to have the next episode finished soon, so you'll need all the sleep you can get.

Sponsor (storms out of the room, 21 and George start laughing)

21: Silly Sponsor, the sheet you signed was completely blank!

George: I can't believe he actually thought we were smart enough to write a loophole to our contracts...

21: Well, since we couldn't, we did the next best thing...now what say we get rid of this evidence?

George: Agreed.

(21 and George take the scraps to the incinerator and destroy them)

George: That's one way out of a bad deal...

21: That's all for today folks! See you next time!


	10. Of Light and Darkness part 2

21: Greetings Earthlings! It is I, the21stMartian! :)

Sponsor: and why are you so happy?

21: Because I got this chapter done relatively quickly, and it's still good O_o

Sponsor: We'll see about that...

21: A couple of things to take note of. First, for those of you who are a little confused right now, I updated Chapter 9 last week to include the 2nd half I hadn't written when I first posted it. As a result of some, unexpected developments, I renamed the overall Chapter 'Of Light and Darkness part 1' Also, I just reuploaded the chapter since I had found a lot of mistakes while re-reviewing it, so yeah those are fixed now (hopefully). Second, this chapter is the product of late nights and listening to WAY too many 'Weird Al' polka medleys, so it may seem a little...strange in places. However, I've read through it a few times and it seems to flow well to me. (Review to let me know if you think I should continue this type of writing process or ditch it.)

Sponsor: Can we get on with it already?

21: One more thing of consequence. Both this chapter and the 2nd half of the previous chapter (the segment known as 'The Hunt for Helltower') actually came out very differently from how I had originally imagined them. Basically, I was led by my typing fingers, and actually liked what I saw, so I continued writing.

Sponsor: Why on earth should anyone give a rat's ass about that?

21: Well, as a result of this, I have to revamp my progressing ideas about this time line a little, so my next update probably will be slightly delayed.

George: Is that all? Can we eat now? I'm starved :(

21: Very well, I will have a few further notes at the end of the chapter, but to post them here would be *SPOILERS* so I'm not going to.

21 and George head off to order foodstuffs.

Sponsor: Finally, we can get a move on. The21stMartian does not own Digimon...and now, here's his latest bit of trash, namely...

Episode 10: Of Light and Darkness part 2: Unholy Alliances

(George): "Last time I revealed the story behind my history with Ken. Afterwards, the younger Digidestined and I attempted to capture Ken in his apartment. Unfortunately, he was one step ahead of us, and had escaped to an unknown dimension while causing his computer to explode. In the process of saving everyone else, I found myself trapped and blind in the alternate dimension. Meanwhile, Kari began to get really sick. Just when things seemed like they couldn't get any worse, the ruler of this universe showed up, and he's angry because the Crest of Power used to belong to him…I believe I am royally screwed.

"Surprised to see me Mr. Helltower?" asked the cloaked figure as the sky continued to darken, "I must admit to being surprised to see you. I never thought you'd come here of all places."

"Ken must have trapped me in the realm of Darkness," said George quietly, "and now he's here to reclaim his Crest…"

The cloaked figure raised his arms. Almost instantly, several dozen more of the small shadowy figures rose up from the depths of the ocean.

"You've already met my minions the Shadowmon," said the dark lord, "these aptly named digimon may only be Champions, but their Phantom Crush attack packs quite a punch."

Backed up against the rocks of the wasteland, blood leaking from the recent wound to his head, George had no choice but to stand his ground.

"This isn't good," thought the now powerless warrior, "without that Crest, I'm only as powerful as a Rookie…if that."

"Any last words Helltower?" asked the evil tyrant.

"Yeah," said George defiantly, "drop dead Daemon!"

The evil digimon held a hand over his heart in a mocking gesture.

"Oooh that hurts," he said sarcastically, "and here I thought we were such good friends."

Slowly but surely, like web footed zombies, the Shadowmon advanced. Daemon was clearly relishing his position to exact judgment on the one who stole his Crest.

"Do you know how many years I've had to spend here in this exile?" snarled Daemon, "all thanks to you and those lousy Sovereigns. Well, I'm pleased to say that soon I will become the least of their worries."

"You mean?" began George.

"Yes," said the cloaked demon, "I meant it when I said I would open a portal back to your dimension, but instead of sending you through it, I shall bring back the Child of Light, and you know what will happen next."

The evil tyrant began laughing sinisterly as he said his next sentence.

"My good friend Lucemon shall be released from his eternal prison," he said.

"No…" breathed George, whose eyes were widening. Ken had accidentally placed the Digital World in a lot more danger than intended…or had it been on purpose. Was it possible that Ken was in league with the Demon Lords? That would explain how he'd been able to open a portal here and then escape…

"Fortunately for you," continued the tyrant, "you'll be long gone before Lucemon is freed."

"Forget it Daemon," said George standing tall, "you'll have to get through me first!"

"A tempting offer," said the demon, "but unfortunately, I cannot expend any undo energy yet. I am still recharging my batteries after being depleted for so long…"

A bolt of lightning struck the evil digimon and he remained within it, the bolt getting bigger and bigger as Daemon absorbed the viral energy emanating from the Crest of Darkness.

Meanwhile the army of Shadowmon loomed ever closer.

"How the hell am I going to get out of this one?" thought George.

* * *

Having transported Kari to the Digital World, the remaining Digidestined remained at a constant vigil by her bedside.

She lay in a spare bed in Gennai's home under the lake, shivering and mumbling about the coming of the Darkness.

"Do you know what's wrong with her?" asked Tai frantically shaking Joe.

"I'm sorry Tai," said the med student, "I have no idea…"

"That's not good enough Joe!" said the elder Kamiya sibling, slamming his fist down on the nightstand, "she could die for all we know!"

Gennai walked into the room.

"I believe I might be able to shed some light on this situation, if you'll pardon the pun," said the old man.

"Well spit it out then!" shouted Tai.

"First off," said the old man, "Sora, could you calm your boyfriend down a bit?"

The redhead walked over to Tai and grabbed hold of his hand.

"It'll be okay Tai," she whispered into his ear, "everyone will do their best to help save Kari."

Although still grumbling and nervous, Tai calmed down…slightly.

"Go on Gennai," said Sora, "I believe you were saying something of consequence."

"Indeed," said Gennai, "I know what Kari's condition is, and if I'm right, then I also know where George is."

"How do you figure?" asked Izzy.

"Kari is reacting to the appearance of the Crest of Darkness," said Gennai, "as the bearer of the Crest of Light, she is most sensitive to the presence of her opposing force…"

"Wait," interjected Cody, "isn't the Crest of Darkness."

"The corrupted version of George's Crest of Power," finished the old man, "indeed you are correct…almost."

"Huh?" said Mimi, "what do you mean almost?"

"In reality, the Crest of Darkness came first," said the old man, "long ago there was an evil digimon named Lucemon who, with his demon companions, terrorized the Digital World. This was before the original Digidestined had been chosen, in fact, this is how they were chosen. Several heroes rose up among the residents of the Digital World. These digimon all had distinguishing characteristics, for example, Alphamon, who was the first Royal Knight Digimon, was a very honorable digimon. During the final battle, these heroes trapped the evil demons in an inescapable prison at the cost of their lives. In their honor, and as a result of the battle, the original seven Crests were formed, each one representing a characteristic of the digimon it symbolized, like the Crest of Honor to symbolize Alphamon. Unfortunately, not all of the demons had been defeated. The evil Lord of Wrath, Daemon, remained. In order to escape defeat, he had taken some of his essence and trapped it into a small stone, which became the Crest of Darkness. This malevolent Crest was quickly discovered and brought before the Sovereigns. Together, they transformed the Crest from the Crest of Darkness into the Crest of Power, and kept it under heavy guard, away from the other Crests. Shortly thereafter, five of the Original Digidestined were summoned, and their corresponding Crests were scattered about Upload Island, including the Crest of Power, which had been designated for George Helltower."

"How did such a dangerous Crest become designated for anybody?" asked Cody, "wouldn't that be dangerous?"

"Indeed," said Gennai, "the Sovereigns were skeptical at first, but they couldn't argue with the Digital World's decision…and, as usual, the Digital World had chosen wisely."

"What do you mean?" asked Yolei.

"Shortly after the departure of George's comrades, Daemon broke free from his prison, and he was angry," said the old man, "he attacked the Sovereigns and began tearing the Digital World apart looking for his Crest. In the end, there was a showdown between Daemon and George, which George won handily, and banished the evil tyrant into the dimension of Darkness, and there he has remained."

"…so if the Crest of Darkness is now appearing," concluded Izzy, "it likely means that George is in the dimension of Darkness…and Daemon has stolen his Crest!"

"I can confirm this theory," said Crocmon as he slowly walked in.

The tiny reptile digimon had seen better days, his scales were falling out, he looked like the walk in from the kitchen exhausted him, and he was very thin.

"I am becoming depleted of energy," explained George's partner, "if George still had his Crest, even if it became corrupted, it wouldn't affect me, but if he doesn't have the crest…"

"You both become powerless," concluded TK, "which means that there isn't much time! We need to get to the world of Darkness now and stop this evil digimon!"

"Hold it kid!" exclaimed Gennai, "going there is the last thing you'd want to do, especially with Kari. That beast likely has other plans which would involve her!"

"How do you figure?" asked Hawkmon.

"Lucemon, being a fallen angel digimon, can only be freed from his prison when the sources of Light and Darkness are brought together," replied the old man, "Daemon is likely trying to open a portal here to capture Kari."

"I won't let him!" exclaimed Tai.

"I'm afraid it may be out of your hands Tai," said Gennai, "if Daemon truly has the Crest of Darkness, he'll be a formidable opponent, and without your own Crests…"

"The situation looks rather dark as well," finished Cody, "but perhaps we can reason with Daemon."

"You can't reason with evil," countered TK, "we need to go in there, and go in there digimon blazing!"

"What's lit a fire under his ass?" wondered Davis.

"TK isn't very fond of the forces of darkness," whispered Tai.

"Under ordinary circumstances, I'd suggest we find a way to open a portal for George to come home," said Gennai, "but even if we rescue George, Daemon is still going to have the Crest of Darkness…"

"What do we go now?" asked the concerned Gatomon.

All eyes turned towards Tai.

"I-I-I don't know…" said the gogglehead, "there seems to be nothing we can do."

* * *

"Phantom Crush!"

Several ghostly hands flew out of the now nearby Shadowmon; they flew towards George trying to strike him.

"If I let those touch me I'm in trouble," thought George, and then he almost chuckled, "not that I'm not in trouble right now…"

As the weakening warrior dodged the incoming attacks, his reactions got sloppier and sloppier, partially due to fatigue, and partially because he couldn't really see the incoming assault.

"There must be something I can still do," thought George, "what have I got on me? Of all the days to not wear my trench coat…"

The fallen warrior mentally ran through an inventory of his possessions he had 'on-hand'.

"I've got my sunglasses," he thought, "but they're busted. I've got my clothes…for all the good they'll do defending me from the attacks."

George reached into his pocket, and his fingers brushed against his digivice.

"Ah ha!" he thought, "how could I have forgotten about that!"

The fallen warrior whipped out his digivice and aimed it in the direction the attacks were coming from. Instantly, the nearest Shadowmon were enveloped in a bright white light and dissolved.

"Jackpot!" thought George, sparing a glance towards the ever-increasing aura surrounding Daemon, "I'd better make this quick. He'll be ready soon…"

* * *

"Well we can't just stay here!" shouted an exasperated Davis, "George needs our help, not to mention the entire universe!"

"Against an opponent like this, it would be suicide!" cautioned Gennai,

"Davis is right though," said Tai, "if Daemon succeeds, it's all over and we die anyways. If I've got to die, I want to at least die trying to stop the forces of evil!"

"If any of you want to opt out, nobody will think any less of you," said Gennai.

Nobody said anything (other than Kari who was getting more and more delirious).

"I thought so," said Gennai smiling, "very well, this way then."

The old man hit a button on his bookcase, and it swiveled around revealing a secret room.

"What's in there?" asked Cody.

"One of the only known operational interdimensional portals got buried in the lake after a battle long ago," replied Gennai, "I built my house here so as to safeguard it."

"But wait!" exclaimed Tai, "if we all go, who will protect Kari?"

"Kari will be as safe here with me as she would anywhere else and with anyone else," replied the old man, "when Daemon completes his portal, there's not much anybody can do to stop it."

Grumbling about leaving his sister alone, Tai continued down the hall with the others.

Eventually, they came to a large set of doors similar to those the older Odaiba Digidestined had encountered in Myotismon's castle.

"I'll set the controls," said Gennai stepping up to a control panel.

A few moments later, the last remaining member of the Order stepped back from the controls, and the doors began to open.

"Just walk through there and you'll be in the universe of Darkness," he said, "I can't guarantee that you'll be close to the action, but you'll be there…"

"Let's move out!" shouted Tai.

"Charge!" yelled Davis, as he ran towards the doors.

The other Digidestined and their partners followed suit, and soon the doors were closing.

"Good luck," whispered Gennai, as the doors slammed shut, "you'll need it."

The old man then turned his attention to the single Dark Ring floating nearby.

"Well Ken," he said, "I hope you're happy with yourself…"

* * *

Ken Ichijouji, alias the Digimon Emperor was, in fact, not happy with himself. Somehow, his airtight plan to eliminate Helltower had gone horribly wrong and placed someone else in a better position to take over the Digital World, and, from what Ken had seen and learned, even he could not defeat a Demon Lord by himself. The Emperor ground his teeth in frustration.

"I hate to admit it," he thought, "but I need help…"

* * *

George swung his digivice around like a portable laser, causing it to disintegrate any Shadowmon that strayed too close. Daemon was still powering up, the dark aura had completely blocked all light in this vicinity aside from the faint light that the aura itself emanated.

"Phantom Crush!"

Caught off guard watching Daemon, George didn't notice the attack coming his way.

* * *

After an unforgettable ride, the Odaiba Digidestined and their partners (sans Kari and Gatomon) landed in the Realm of Darkness.

Endless seas of gray wastelands surrounded them. There was no sign of any other living beings as far as the eye could see. Above them, the sky was a dull gray, although no clouds could be seen. Just on the edge of their vision was an area that seemed darker than the rest of the world.

"What a desolate place this is," remarked Izzy.

"Yeah, but where's George?" demanded Davis.

Suddenly, the D3s began glowing and vibrating. Curiously, the younger Digidestined quickly pulled them out and examined their tiny screens. On it, a strong signal was coming from George's digivice, however, instead of the usual lightning bolt shaped symbol, there was a skull and crossbones.

"Uh oh," said Yolei, "does that mean what I think it means?"

"No," said Izzy, "the signal is coming from the Crest of Darkness. Wherever George is, the Demon Lord is that way."

(Izzy pointed in the direction indicated by the D3s.)

"It's fairly likely George is there too…if he's alive," remarked Sora.

"Why 'if?'" asked Cody, "surely he's alive."

"At this point Cody," explained Izzy, "all we know is that George was, in fact, here and that Daemon stole the Crest of Power from him. Knowing George, he certainly put up a fight."

"…and given the fact that Daemon had a score to settle," began TK.

Silence followed that statement for a few moments before Davis got pissed.

"I don't know why we're standing here!" he said, "even if George isn't currently fighting the evil digimon he'd want us to!"

With that, the young gogglehead began walking towards the darker area with Veemon following. The others slowly followed suit, knowing full well that this could be the last day of their lives.

* * *

The Emperor quickly realized that the fastest way to get to the Realm of Darkness was through Gennai's portal, so he swallowed a little of his pride and flew to Gennai's house via Airdramon express. As he touched down, the stairs appeared in front of him descending into Gennai's house, and the old man himself appeared at the bottom.

"I've been expecting you Mr. Ichijouji," he said, "you require my portal to get to the universe of Darkness, do you not?"

"That's right," said the Emperor coldly, "now let's get moving. I've got to stop those Demon Lords from taking over my world!"

As he led George's former protégé down the hall to the portal, Gennai couldn't resist a final comment.

"…looks like blowing up your computer wasn't such a good idea after all eh?" he said smiling wryly.

"Shut up old man!" shouted the Emperor, "don't push your luck!"

"Whatever you say Ken," said the old man, as they arrived at the portal.

Immediately, Ken ran towards it and pulled out his digivice, and Gennai went over to the controls.

"I don't need your help old man," said the Emperor, "my digivice can open the portal to wherever I want in that realm. It's a lot more efficient than anything you can do!"

Gennai shrugged and sat back. In moments, Ken had passed through the portal and into the unknown…

* * *

As the Digidestined ran towards the signal, they noticed that the darkness pervading in the area ahead suddenly disappeared.

"That can't be good," thought TK, "especially since the signal is stronger than ever."

* * *

As the blast flew towards George, the fallen warrior had a sudden upsurge of power. He backhanded the attack right back at its source, and glanced down at his chest, which felt like it was burning. The familiar lightning bolt symbol had appeared there.

"Wha-?" thought George, "this doesn't make sense. Daemon took the Crest of Power and yet here it is…"

"Silly George," said a reverberating voice within his head, "the power is within you, not a piece of plastic."

"Who are you?" asked George.

"I am…your author!" said the voice.

"NOOO! …wait what?" asked George.

"I'm the guy in charge of writing this stuff, and I say it's time for you to have powers…so I gave them to you," said the almighty author, "but only temporarily."

"…so now what?" asked George.

"Kick his ass!" commanded the all knowing author.

"Yay!" said George as he charged at the remaining Shadowmon.

"My work here is done," said the all powerful author, and he retreated back into his own continuum.

The recharged Helltower made quick work of the Shadowmon, and turned to where Daemon had been charging. Unfortunately, the Demon Lord was not there…which meant.

"Well, well, well, Mr. Helltower," said Daemon, as he appeared behind the Warrior of Power, "it looks like you will still give me difficulty after all."

"Oh you have no idea," said George smirking.

As he had finished powering up, Daemon had transformed into a much more hideous form. Gone was his cloak, and beneath it was a skeletal pair of blue shins, above which was a pair of black shorts with a red stripe. The bottom part of his torso was thin and green, but the upper part was beefed up and blue with red designs. He wore black shoulder covers and wicked looking gauntlets, but the upper part of his arms was bare revealing the pure muscle underneath. Each of his hands and feet ended in metallic claws. His head was disproportionately small in comparison to his large torso; it was blue with tow horns sticking out of the top. His most noticeable features however, were his gigantic blue wings. Connected at the top to a gigantic skeletal frame, each massive wing looked like a giant blue flame dancing in the wind.

The two powered up beings floated into the air preparing for their final showdown. One of them would not be getting up when this fight was over.

* * *

The Digimon Emperor materialized at the original coordinates where he had left George.

"It's best to begin my search here," he thought, walking down to the beach, "but I have no idea which way he—"

The Emperor's thought process was interrupted by a massive shockwave which sent him flying backwards at an alarming rate.

The Emperor found himself facedown on the edge of the rocky wasteland. As he stood up, he realized that there were others nearby.

Cautiously, he reached for his digivice, but he quickly realized that these were the people he was looking for, the Digidestined.

"If it isn't the Digimon Emperor," said Cody coldly, "have you come to help your friends the Demon Lords?"

"They're not my friends!" exclaimed the Emperor, "they are my rivals in conquest, and I must destroy them!"

"Hmph," said the 4th grader, "no honor among thieves I see…"

"I was never allied with them in the first place!" shouted the Emperor, "now then, if you don't mind, I'm heading off to face the Demon Lord of Wrath."

"Wait!" exclaimed Davis, "to go in by yourself is suicide!"

"Let him go," said Matt, "it's not like we need to care about him. Besides, this whole situation is his fault in the first place!"

"We can't just let him go," protested Davis, "he may be our enemy, but no one deserves death…"

"Given the chance," said TK, "he'll become a bigger problem than the Demon Lords."

"Hmph!" said Cody, "for once I agree with Davis."

Everyone turned towards Cody in shock, especially the Emperor. Nobody had expected him to come to the Emperor's aide.

"Nobody deserves death," continued the 4th grader, "so instead we'll capture him now, and deal with the Demon Lord ourselves!"

"Ha!" laughed the Emperor, "you fools really think you can handle a Demon Lord by yourselves? You can't even deal with me!"

"…he has a point," acknowledged Izzy, "we are unable to defeat Daemon by ourselves."

"Are you actually suggesting that we team up with this monster?" asked Cody in shock, "have you lost hold of your senses?"

"On the contrary," said Izzy, "I realize this isn't going to be easy for either side, but with the fate of the universe in our hands, even Ken will do his best to save it…even if it is so that he can rule it later on."

"Our motives might be different," said the Emperor, "but our goals are the same; defeat Daemon at all costs!"

"No," said Cody, "we will not kill him!"

"Get with the program shortstop!" shouted the Emperor, "if you don't kill him, he'll come back and make your life a living hell later. The only way to permanently deal with Daemon is to destroy him!"

"There must be another way…" said Cody quietly, "why should we trust what you say?"

"Because it's true Cody," said Tai sadly, "some digimon cannot be reasoned with, and it's a matter of either killing them, or the Digital World being destroyed."

"So, we'll partner up just this once," said the Emperor, "as neither of our parties has the capability of dealing with that demon by itself."

"Agreed," said Tai, making the executive decision, despite Cody's protests, "however, we will be keeping a close eye on you."

As Tai and the Emperor were about to shake hands to seal the deal, another shockwave rocked the nearby beach.

"Let's go!" shouted Davis, already running off in the direction of the signal on his D3.

"After you," said Cody, gesturing coldly at the Emperor. There was no way he'd let that tyrant out of his sight.

* * *

"Evil Inferno!"

"Data Bomb!"

Once again, a gigantic fireball collided with a white energy blast causing yet another shockwave to rock the beach. The ground below had already become a giant crater into which water from the endless ocean was flowing. (Think the crater after Goku's Spirit Bomb hit Frieza.)

"Damn!" thought George, "if I could just slide digivolve this would have been over already!"

Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond even the author's capabilities (AKA canon), even slide digivolution was prevented by Control Spires, and George had still not managed to knock down, or even locate, the lighthouse.

As the two combatants charged at each other again and again, they collided at high speeds as they each punched, kicked, or otherwise attacked their opponent.

As time lagged on, Daemon decided he'd wasted enough time, so he decided to finish the battle.

"Chaos Flare!"

As before (see the end of Episode 9) Daemon unleashed a wave of darkness from within him. The darkness completely engulfed George, swallowing him completely.

Although nothing could be seen within the cloud, George's scream of pain could be heard from miles away.

* * *

"What the hell was that?" asked Davis as a particularly loud scream was heard by the advancing group.

"Oh nothing," said Cody pointing, "just that."

The others glanced up at where the 4th grader was pointing to see a ball of darkness free falling at high speed towards the ground. As it fell, the ball was enveloped in fire. The flaming spheroid collided with the ground not far from where the Digidestined and the Emperor were standing, causing a massive earthquake upon impact.

The Digidestined and their partners went flying. Only the Emperor, who had latched onto a nearby rock using his whip, remained [relatively] static.

"Hmmm," said the Emperor glancing upwards towards the origin of the ball, "someone's started the party without us…"

When they finally regained their footing, they began to edge towards the crater that had formed because of the collision. Davis looked over the lip and immediately recoiled at the sight that met his eyes.

At the bottom of the crater George was laying perfectly still, his limbs sticking out at odd angles, and blood still seeping from his head wound. His eyes glanced upwards sightlessly.

Joe immediately slid into the crater and checked for a pulse. Amazingly, it was still there, faint, but present.

"He's alive," said the med student, "incredible though it may sound, he's still breathing!"

George began mumbling something unintelligibly.

"He's saying something!" exclaimed the med student.

"What?" asked Tai.

Joe leaned in, and looked rather confused.

"It sounds suspiciously like 'damn you author', but that doesn't make any sense," he said.

"He's probably a little delirious," said Sora, "understandably so."

To everyone's surprise, the Emperor, upon glancing into the crater, didn't look very happy.

"I've been waiting for this moment for what seems like an eternity!" he exclaimed, "and now that it's finally happened I didn't cause it!"

Ken Ichijouji slid into the crater next to Joe, and, before anyone could stop him, leaned over George and placed his hand against George's forehead.

"Stand back," he said, prompting Joe to take an involuntary step backwards.

"What are you doing?" demanded Cody as a blue-green aura began to surround George and Ken.

"Swiping some of his power," said the Emperor, "which will also speed up his recovery process."

"Explain," said Cody, pulling out his digivice, "and I'd better like what I hear."

"Right now, George has too much power flowing through his body for it to be in a state like this," replied the Emperor, "as such, it flows freely with no purpose. If I take some of it, there won't be an excess so his body will register that it is damaged."

"You really expect me to believe that?" demanded Cody.

"Let me put it to you this way," said the Emperor, "if I wanted to kill him, I would have already done so. I have no desire to kill George right now. There is no challenge in defeating someone who is already beaten. It is therefore my prerogative to get him back on his feet as soon as possible."

"…so that you can kill him right?" asked Cody.

"In a word, yes," replied the Emperor, "but that's neither here nor there right now. For now we must concentrate on the Demon Lord."

As Cody prepared to retort, Tai placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Unfortunately, the Emperor is right Cody," he said, "we may not like it, but we have to work with him now to defeat Daemon. After this one battle, we can go back to being enemies."

Meanwhile, at the bottom of the crater, Ken completed the transfer, and George was beginning to regain consciousness.

"Well, well, well," he coughed, "look who's back. Did you really miss me that much?"

"Humorous to the last," said the Emperor mockingly, "honestly, how is it an idiot like you could have been given the Crest of Power?"

"What can I say?" said George coughing, "it must be my charming personality."

"If you weren't already nearly dead, I'd kill you for that," said the Emperor, his eyes flashing dangerously behind his sunglasses, "so mind your place old man."

"Ouch," said George, "kids these days have no respect for their elders…"

"If you two are done bantering, we do have work to do," said Cody, not liking how chummy George was with the Emperor.

"Right you are," said George.

Slowly, the Warrior of Power reached out and poked Ken's ankle.

"Don't you waste that power you borrowed," he said, "I'd like it back…"

"Tough luck," said the Emperor, kicking away Helltower's hand, "let's get moving! Those who can armor digivolve come with me! Those who can't stay here and guard this idiot…not that you weaklings can do much good, but I figure if he gets here he'll have killed us so it won't really matter now will it?"

"Wouldn't it be easier just to destroy the Control Spire here so that we all can help you?" asked Izzy.

The Emperor looked surprised.

"There's no Control Spire here," he said.

"…so why did George say there was?" asked Sora.

"He must have been mistaken," replied the Emperor, "I can't transport Control Spires into other dimensions…" ("Yet," he mumbled.)

"Then how did you get your servants to obey you here without one?" asked George.

"Search me," said the Emperor, "I had no idea they would still obey me after I left. They were here just to keep you busy while I left. That's why I didn't bring any with me when I came here…"

"So maybe we can digivolve after all?" asked Agumon.

"Let's try it!" exclaimed Tai taking out his digivice.

Unfortunately, neither Agumon, nor any of the other of the older Odaiba Digidestined's partners, could digivolve.

"Amazing," commented the Emperor, "this universe is like one big digivolution dampening field…I must remember to study this."

"May I remind you that while you are admiring this universe, there's another evil digimon who is trying to take over our world?" asked Cody.

"Right," said the Emperor, "let's get a move on then!"

* * *

While the Digidestined were standing by the crater, Daemon had been making preparations for his portal. The Demon Lord stood gathering his internal power into his hands, which he would use to rip apart the fabrics that kept each dimension separate. His hands began to glow as the power built up within them. Soon he would complete his task and Lucemon would be freed, and then the Digital World and those obnoxious Sovereigns would pay for trapping them.

"Almost done," grunted the Lord of Wrath, "Once more the Demon Lords shall rule the world, and this time there will be no one left to oppose us!"

* * *

Ken inspected the troops. Flamedramon, Halsemon, Digmon, and Pegasusmon stood before him ready to go.

"Alright," he said, "Daemon is somewhere up there. We've got to stop him before he opens that portal or it's all over!"

"Then why are we hanging out here?" asked Pegasusmon.

"…There's a slight problem," said Flamedramon.

"Not all of us can fly," elaborated Digmon.

"Bah!" shouted the Emperor, "useless! I don't know why I ever thought you miserable fools could help me…"

Not wanting to waste any more time, the Emperor used his newfound powers to fly off towards the location where George had fallen from. Pegasusmon and Halsemon quickly followed him with apologetic looks on their faces as they glanced at their comrades.

"Ken can fly now?" asked Davis, "that's not good…"

"It's only temporary," spluttered George, "but if Flamedramon and Digmon come here, I can grant them the power of flight temporarily as well."

The armor digimon walked down the crater to George. Carefully and slowly, the broken warrior placed a hand on each of them and concentrated. A smaller blue-green aura surrounded the trio.

Exasperated, George pulled back gasping for air. After a few moments he regained the ability to speak.

"There," he said, "you now not only can fly, but you have a little of my power as well. Use it wisely, it's only temporary…"

With that, the Warrior of Power's body decided that it was once again time to shut him down for extensive repairs.

Flamedramon looked at Digmon; Digmon looked at Flamedramon. Slowly, they both began levitating off the ground. Suddenly, they shot into the air like a cannon.

"YAHOO!" shouted Flamedramon.

* * *

"What was that?" wondered Daemon, "I could have sworn I just heard someone scream…"

Suddenly, something came rushing at him at a high speed. The Demon Lord didn't have time to react before the object in question, namely the Digimon Emperor, collided with him painfully and launched an energy blast at point blank range causing the Lord of Wrath to go flying.

"Nobody kills George Helltower but me!" he exclaimed.

"Ah," said Daemon intrigued, "the infamous Digimon Emperor. We meet at last."

"Yes," said Ken, "and it shall be the last time, because I'm going to kill you!"

"Oh I highly doubt that this is the last time we'll meet my dear Emperor," said Daemon, "I have plans for you…"

"Well you can shove those plans up your ass," shouted the Emperor charging up for an attack, "because I'm about to tear you apart!"

"If your master couldn't do it, what makes you think you can?" asked Daemon.

"George Helltower is NOT my master!" exclaimed the Emperor, launching a barrage of energy blasts at the evil digimon.

Daemon flapped his massive wings, which completely deflected the attack.

"The point remains," said the demon, "George is a more capable warrior than you can ever be, and he couldn't defeat me. Be gone, before I decide you're not worth the effort invested in you!"

Before Ken could ask what the Demon Lord meant, the armor digimon arrived.

"Are we too late?" asked Flamedramon, showing off his flight capabilities by performing the infamous 'barrel roll.'

"No," replied Daemon, "nobody is ever late for their date with oblivion!"

The armor digimon and Ken all launched their respective attacks, but the Demon Lord simply dodged them all, while still gathering energy into his hands. The very air surrounding them began to distort as the Lord of Wrath came closer to achieving his goal.

* * *

Gennai and Gatomon were watching over Kari caringly. Although Kari had remained ill, she was still there, so, at least, that was a sign that Daemon had not yet been allowed to complete his portal.

Gennai sighed. He had witnessed the last battle between George and Daemon millennia ago. It had not been easy for the Warrior of Power then, and now, even if he wasn't killed when Daemon had stolen his Crest, it would be even harder.

"It'll be alright," thought the old man, "and if it isn't who cares because we'll all be dead…"

* * *

As the Emperor and the armor digimon continued to charge and attach Daemon, he continued to dodge and kick at them. Occasionally, he'd bash one of them with his massive wings, but, Ken noticed, he never used his hands.

"Strange," thought Ken, "it can only mean one of two things. One, he's toying with us, or two, he's going to create the portal by ripping through the dimensions with his hands."

The Emperor took a closer look at the demon's hands and saw the distorting space, which confirmed his second theory.

"Aim for the hands!" he exclaimed, "if we hit them, we'll disperse the energy there and stop him!"

"Gold Rush!"

"Star Shower!"

"Fire Rocket!"

"Eagle Eye!"

"Data Bomb!"

The five attacks headed straight for Daemon. As the evil digimon prepared to dodge, Digmon crept up behind him and pinned his wings and head.

The Lord of Wrath began to thrash wildly.

"I could use some help here," exclaimed the drill-nosed digimon.

Quickly, Flamedramon and the Emperor dived in and helped pin down the tyrant.

Just as the attacks were about to hit his hands, Daemon revealed another ace up his metaphorical sleeve.

"Algol's Flame!"

A gigantic ball of fire erupted from Daemon's mouth and canceled out the incoming attacks, but it didn't stop there. The fireball collided with Pegasusmon and Halsemon, causing them to lose consciousness, fall to the ground, and dedigivolve into their In-Training levels.

"Whoa!" exclaimed Ken, "I never knew he could do that!"

"I think we're in a spot of trouble," said Digmon.

"Then let's kick it up a notch using the power George gave us!" exclaimed Flamedramon, as a blue-green aura built up around him.

Digmon and the Emperor followed suit, and soon, they too were surrounded by George's blue-green aura.

"Whoa!" said Flamedramon, "I've never felt so awesome in my whole life!"

Digmon whirled his drills menacingly.

"Let's get crackin'" drawled the yellow digimon.

The three powered up warriors rushed the Demon Lord, who attempted to blow them away using his wings. Unfortunately for him, Digmon was too aerodynamic thanks to his drills, which cut through the gale.

Cody's partner glowed brighter than ever as a new attack was born.

"Rock Blasting!" shouted Digmon

Instantly, his five drills shot out of his arms and nose. At point blank range, Daemon couldn't dodge, and as the drills impacted, they began to explode.

Daemon was consumed by a massive exploding fireball, but it wasn't over yet.

Flamedramon, also glowing brightly, launched his own new attack.

"Napalm Barrage!"

Instead of the usual medium sized fireballs, Flamedramon launched several white hot torpedo shaped fireballs, which streaked towards the already enveloped Demon Lord causing more explosions.

"It's not over yet!" shouted the Emperor as he charged up George's signature attack, "Pentagram Laser!"

The Five pointed star shaped laser also impacted on the fireball consuming Daemon, causing one more massive explosion to occur. Nothing could be seen through the thick smoke.

"…I think we did it!" exclaimed Flamedramon, panting.

"Whew," said Digmon, "'bout time too. I'm more tired than a—"

Exactly what Digmon was more tired than, they would never find out, because the two armor digimon were each sent flying towards the ground by powerful kicks, courtesy of a certain Demon Lord, who was not as incapacitated as they had believed. In fact, he was completely unharmed, so they had failed at even slowing down his portal making.

"How?" asked the aghast Emperor, "we threw everything we had at you!"

"Simple," said the Lord of Wrath, "I protected myself using my wings."

Daemon lowered his wings and revealed that they were slightly charred.

"I must admit," said the demon, "that if that attack had hit me anywhere else, I would not be in as good condition as I am now…you three are bothersome, but it is of no consequence, for soon my friend Lucemon shall be freed, and the world will be ours!"

"…you mean?" asked the Emperor.

"Yes," said the demon raising his arms, "I have completed my preparations. It's time to make my portal!"

* * *

Flamedramon and Digmon slammed into the ocean at a high speed. Luckily, it cushioned their impact. Unluckily, the bizarre waters caused them to dedigivolve into their In-Training levels on the spot.

As Davis ran to rescue them from the vast ocean's depths, one thought, one dreadful thought, occurred to Cody.

"It's all up to the Emperor now," he thought.

* * *

"Because I'm a nice guy I'll give you one last chance to back down Emperor," said Daemon, "if you do, perhaps I can see fit to give you a portion of the Digital World to rule as your own."

"I'm sorry Daemon," said Ken, "but that's unacceptable."

"Stubborn fool!" growled the Demon Lord, "your fate is on your own head now!"

Electricity crackled in the air as the barriers between dimensions began to tear.

"It's now or never," realized the Emperor, as he began to power up.

The aura surrounding him became larger and larger until its light shined brightly in the sky, a break in the otherwise monotonous gray.

"YAAAAAAAAAA!" shouted the Emperor as he charged at the unsuspecting demon, who panicked

"Chaos Flare!"

The dark void attempted to engulf the Emperor, but, as he was evil as well, it had no effect on him. The human tyrant breezed through it like it was mere fog, and slammed into Daemon, causing him to falter midair. The Emperor reached up to try and grab one of Daemon's hands, but got knocked on the head by one of the demon's wings for his troubles.

As Ken tried to regain his senses, Daemon continued to tear through the dimensions searching for Kari Kamiya.

"I'll find you Child of Light," he said, "and when I do, it shall be the end of the world as you know it!"

* * *

Back in the Digital World, things were far from dandy. Gatomon had noticed it at first, but Gennai could not see it as well. Kari was beginning to fade. At first it had just been her colors. She had become a pale gray, but now her very body seemed to be fading into oblivion, becoming more and more transparent with each passing second.

"What does it mean?" asked Gatomon fearfully.

"It means that the others have failed," said Gennai, "and that Daemon is now searching through the multiverse for Kari."

"…if the others failed," began Gatomon.

"They're either dead, dying, or will soon be dead," finished Gennai sadly, "the Demon Lords have no mercy…it will take some time before he can find her though so we still have a few minutes."

"Minutes?" asked the exasperated Gatomon.

"Yes," said Gennai, "and we need to make some preparations before then."

* * *

The Emperor suddenly snapped back into reality. Although he was still slightly dazed, he began to launch several volleys of energy blasts at Daemon.

"I'll show you what real evil is!" exclaimed the young tyrant as he fired blast after blast at his opponent.

Daemon had to admit, the Emperor was certainly a tricky one.

He tried to blow away the blasts with his wings, but only succeeded in getting his wings more fried than they already had been.

"You use Helltower's power well," commented the Lord of Wrath, "but you must realize your situation is hopeless."

"I don't think so," said the Emperor as he flew away from Daemon.

"Where do you think you're going?" asked the Demon Lord.

"Straight through your miserable body," said the Emperor as he turned to face his adversary once more.

"Huh?" said Daemon, as the Emperor shot at him like a cannon ball.

"Take this you miserable simpleton!" exclaimed the dark Digidestined.

Not wanting to get punched through, Daemon, who didn't have time to think straight, once again protected himself using his wings. At the last minute, however, the Emperor fired off a point blank Data Bomb, which hit the weakened portion of the Demon Lord's wings, and cut through it. In retaliation, the Lord of Wrath kicked Ken Ichijouji in the head, rendering him unconscious as he plummeted towards the ground below.

Hovering unstably with his torn wing, Daemon spared a moment to boast to his unconscious opponent.

"I must admit, no one has managed to damage a Demon Lord this badly since your former master, but as you can see, it is futile to resist us. We are all powerful!" he proclaimed.

With that, the Lord of Wrath was left uninterrupted to complete his portal.

* * *

Ken Ichijouji crash landed not far from the crater where his former mentor lay. Immediately, Joe ran over to see what condition he was in, but before he could, the Emperor stood up and brushed himself off.

"Fool," he muttered as he took off again, "don't write me off just yet."

As he approached Daemon, the Demon Lord spotted him.

"Back for more eh?" he said, "I must admit I didn't expect you to get up…but it matters not. I still have the upper hand, if you'll pardon the pun."

"Bullshit," declared the Emperor, "I've seen your battle style and have adapted to it. Now, whatever you do, you're playing into my hands!"

"Smart…for a human," Daemon said, "but I have an ace up my sleeve."

The evil digimon's red eyes began glowing, and suddenly, the nape of Ken's neck began burning…at least it felt like it was burning.

Screaming in pain, the Digimon Emperor thrashed around, the pain causing his eyes to tear.

"Algol's Flame!"

Once again, the gigantic fireball emerged and engulfed the twitching Emperor.

Once again, Ken Ichijouji fell to the earth…this time he didn't get up.

* * *

"We're ready," said Gennai, "if Kari does get sucked into the Realm of Darkness, she won't get sucked in alone."

"Right!" said Gatomon, "I know the plan!"

"Good," said Gennai, "you won't have long, and it's a one in a million chance, but given that the others have failed, it's our only hope of defeating Daemon!"

"I understand," said Gatomon.

Gennai looked over at the sleeping Botamon that he had placed onto Kari's bed. (Crocmon having de-digivolved to his baby form to conserve what little energy he had.)

Suddenly, Kari, Gatomon, and Botamon faded completely.

The old man sighed.

"It's in your hands not Gatomon," he said, "for everyone's sake you cannot fail!"

* * *

The sudden lurch had surprised the feline digimon, but she immediately knew what was happening. Daemon had managed to complete his portal, and was sucking Kari into the Realm of Darkness.

"…so the others have failed," thought Gatomon dismally, "I'll see to it that their sacrifice won't be in vain!"

As Gatomon began to feel herself getting rematerialized, she realized that she had to make her first move. It wouldn't do to let Daemon know that Kari hadn't come alone.

"Let's go Botamon," she said, as she twisted herself and the Baby digimon out of the portal a little earlier than Kari.

* * *

Joe was kneeling beside the comatose Ken, shaking his head.

"Severe burns and a concussion," he said, "not to mention several broken bones and various lacerations…he's in bad shape."

"What now?" asked Yolei, "he was our last hope…"

"Whatever shows up next," declared Tai, "we'll fight it to our last breath!"

"Agreed," said Sora, "it's our job as Digidestined!"

The others nodded in agreement, and glanced skyward, looking at the telltale signs of a portal that had begun to form in the air above.

"…so he's finished the portal," said TK.

Suddenly and unexpectedly, Gatomon appeared amidst them.

"Guys!" exclaimed the feline digimon, causing many of them to jump in shock, "you're still alive!"

"Gatomon?" exclaimed Tai, "what're you doing here?"

"Gennai sent us here," said the feline digimon, "he's got a backup plan that just might succeed."

"Us?" asked Izzy.

Gatomon lifted her paws revealing the still sleeping Botamon that she was carrying.

"…so what's the plan?" asked Tai anxiously.

"Who's still able to fight?" asked the feline digimon.

"Just the Rookies," said Joe, "look around."

Gatomon took in her surroundings. She saw Tokomon, Poromon, Upamon, and DemiVeemon all lying around in a similar state as Botamon. She saw the craters where George and the Emperor had fallen, and took in their mangled bodies. The fur on the back of her neck stood on end and she began hissing.

"This isn't good," she said, "but if all goes according to plan we should be able to heal them…"

"What are you planning to do?" asked Davis.

"When he tries to tap into Kari's energy, I'll use that energy to digivolve," explained Gatomon.

"But the Realm of Darkness prevents digivolution," said Matt, "that's why we couldn't help the others!"

"…unless Ken was lying to us," remarked Cody.

"He wasn't," said Gatomon, "but by accessing the powers of Kari's Crest, I can negate that effect."

"Standby," said TK, "it looks like the portal is opening!"

* * *

Daemon looked on in triumph as his prey appeared within the portal.

"Excellent," he thought, "soon I shall use the powers of light to with my own powers of darkness to free Lucemon. Then the whole universe shall feel our wrath!"

As the portal closed behind her, Kari was deposited from it straight into the hands of the Demon Lord.

Daemon's eyes glowed bright red, as he attempted to access the dormant energies within the Child of Light.

* * *

"She's glowing!" said Yolei.

"Well something is glowing," said Izzy, "and I'd be willing to bet that it isn't our demon friend."

Gatomon closed her eyes and started to glow as well.

When she opened them again, she was radiating in pure white light.

"It's time," she said.

* * *

Daemon looked down confused. Something was responding to the Child's glow…was this supposed to happen?

"Damn it!" he thought, "why don't Digidestined come with user's manuals!"

* * *

"Gatomon digivolve to—Angewomon!"

Gone was the small white feline, only to be replaced by the eight winged angelic archer.

Immediately, she flew off to confront Daemon accompanied by cheers from the remaining Digidestined.

"Let her go you fiend!" she exclaimed, as she approached the Demon Lord.

"What's this?" asked Daemon, his eyes widening, "a holy digimon here? How is this possible?"

The Lord of Wrath looked at the glowing Kari within his arms.

"No!" he yelled, "it can't be!"

Kari glowed brighter than ever, as Daemon was forced to cover his eye to avoid being blinded.

Angewomon used that opportunity to dive in and save her partner from the Lord of Wrath's clutches. She quickly flew down to the others and deposited Kari into her brother's arms.

"Keep her safe," she said softly, "I'll take care of Daemon."

"…by…yourself?" asked the aghast Tai, "even George was no match for this guy."

Angewomon laughed.

"Never alone," she said, "I have all of you here."

With that, she flew up to confront Daemon.

Davis whistled.

"Wow," he said, "not only is she smoking hot, but she's Kari's partner too."

"Shut up Davis," shouted Tai, "now's not the time!"

* * *

Daemon finally recovered from the blast of light, and he was angry.

"You cannot hope to defeat me when all of the others failed," he said as Angewomon confronted him, "it's pointless to fight."

Angewomon cocked her head.

"Maybe," she said, "maybe not."

"Heaven's Charge!"

"Shit!" thought Daemon.

* * *

Back on the ground, the Digimon all began to glow brightly, those who weren't in their Rookie state, quickly digivolved (including Botamon). From within the two craters came two rays of light.

"Yahoo!" exclaimed Veemon, "talk about getting fired up!"

"Indeed," said Hawkmon, "I feel like I could take out Daemon with one wing tied behind my back!"

Armadillomon yawned.

"I still feel tired," he drawled lazily, "but I cain't seem to fall asleep."

Suddenly, everybody's digivices began glowing.

"What's going on?" asked Yolei, as the whole area became bathed with light.

"Awesome!" exclaimed Davis.

"Tai," said Agumon, "I think we can digivolve now."

"Yeah!" exclaimed the gogglehead, "let's kick some demon butt!"

"Agumon warp digivolve to—WarGreymon!"

"Gabumon warp digivolve to—MetalGarurumon!"

"Biyomon digivolve to—Birdramon digivolve to—Garudamon!"

"Tentomon digivolve to—Kabuterimon digivolve to—MegaKabuterimon!"

"Gomamon digivolve to—Ikkakumon digivolve to—Zudomon!"

"Palmon digivolve to—Togamon digivolve to—Lilymon!"

"Patamon digivolve to—Angemon digivolve to—MangaAngemon!"

Davis stared at Patamon's digivolved form with tears streaming down his eyes.

"Angemon and Angewomon," he said sadly, "it's just not fair…"

"Right!" shouted Yolei, "let's not get left out!"

"I agree," said Cody.

"Veemon Armor digivolve to—Flamedramon: The Fires of Courage!"

"Hawkmon Armor digivolve to—Halsemon: The Wings of Love!"

"Armadillomon Armor digivolve to—Digmon: The Drills of Knowledge!"

From the depths of the second crater, the Emperor climbed out and brushed himself off…things had certainly changed for the better while he was out cold.

Somehow the others had bypassed the realm's anti-digivolution properties, and were preparing to facedown Daemon with a veritable army of powerful digimon.

While this was beneficial for the time being, the Emperor realized that if they had managed to digivolve here, they'd be able to bypass his Control Spire's signals sooner or later, which would certainly complicate things.

"Let's get 'im!" shouted Tai, pumping his fist.

"Right," growled WarGreymon, "I'm about to kick some demon butt!"

With the courageous warrior leading, the Digidestined's digimon and the Emperor charged back towards Daemon.

* * *

The Lord of Wrath looked down at the glowing coast.

"This isn't good," he thought as he noticed the army of digimon coming after him.

Surprisingly, as the cavalry arrived, Angewomon stopped them.

"This is my fight," she said, "if you want to help, you can give me your energy."

Remembering their fight with Myotismon, the older Odaiba Digidestined's partners nodded and immediately launched their strongest attacks into the vortex that had appeared over the holy angel's head. (Almost halo like.)

"Terra Force!"

"Metal Wolf Claw!"

"Wing Blade!"

"Horn Buster!"

"Vulcan's Hammer!"

"Flower Cannon!"

"Gate of Destiny!"

Not to be left out, the armor digimon followed suit.

"Tempest Wing!"

"Rock Blasting!"

"Napalm Barrage!"

As the attacks flowed into the halo, Angewomon began glowing brightly as she absorbed her comrade's energy. Her comrades all de-digivolved back into Rookies and began to fall towards the ground (except for Biyomon, Tentomon, and Patamon who could fly), but they were caught by a mysterious half mechanical half biological warrior. His organic armor is bluish green scales and his inorganic armor is gray metal. The metal covers his arms and claws, one of his legs, and half of his head. His wings are also made out of metal and the Crest of Power is emblazoned on his back just below the wings and on the wings such that when they are folded behind him they form one complete crest. He has a tail that is partly covered with metal plating.

"Who are you?" asked Veemon.

"CyborgDragonmon," replied the warrior, "the Mega form of Crocmon. My enemies know to fear my Electrical Flame and Nova Barrage attacks!"

"Good catch CyborgDragonmon!" called Angewomon, and then she turned toward the Digimon Emperor, "and now, I shall take the power you stole!"

The Halo hovered above the Digimon Emperor, the blue-green aura that surrounded him began being sucked up by the vortex.

"No!" exclaimed the Emperor, "you can't do this to me!"

"That power wasn't yours to use," said Angewomon.

As the last of George's power got sucked out of Ken, he too began falling towards the ground. As CyborgDragonmon flew towards him, he held out a hand.

"I don't need your help," he said as he performed a perfect flip and landed softly on the ground, with CyborgDragonmon moments behind.

With the Rookies safely on the ground, CyborgDragonmon made his contribution towards Angewomon's energy reserves.

"Electrical Flame!"

Putting all of his power into that single attack, CyborgDragonmon dedigivolved all the way back to DemiCrocmon, but it had the desired effect. Angewomon was bathed in a golden light as the power and energy flowed through her.

"Angewomon digivolve to—Ophanimon!"

In Angewomon's place, there was now a green armored and ten golden winged, angel. The armor left her stomach exposed, and under the lower armor was a white skirt. Her eyes were covered by a green helmet that had a yellow cross on it and a red tassel hanging off the back. On her left arm was a green shield with a yellow horse's head depicted on it. In her right hand, she carried a long lance that was taller than she was. The grip of the lance was surrounded by an outer circle that had wings coming out of it. Her long blonde hair fell well below her waist, and would be nearly touching the floor if Ophanimon had been standing on the ground.

"Whoa!" said DemiCrocmon, "that's Ophanimon, a Celestial Digimon. Her Eden's Javelin attack is said to strike terror into even the most evil digimon!"

"Daemon," said the holy angel, "you have tried to utilize the powers of light for your own selfish reasons. You have also attempted to reclaim that which no longer belonged to you and to take over the Digital World. For that, there must be judgment!"

"You don't scare me!" said Daemon, even though he was shaking in his boots.

"Perhaps not, but this will…Eden's Javelin!"

A beam of purifying light shot out of the tip of Ophanimon's javelin and shot towards the Demon Lord.

"Chaos Flare!"

Daemon's signature dark void was completely overwhelmed by Ophanimon's light, and the Lord of Wrath found himself engulfed in the holy light.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" he screamed, "IT BURNS!"

Completely drained, Daemon crashed to the ground, out cold, but not dead.

Ophanimon landed next to him and dedigivolved back into Salamon.

Salamon walked over to Kari, who was just awakening.

"How do you feel?" asked the Rookie digimon.

"Great!" exclaimed Kari, "…now would someone tell me where we are and what's going on?"

As the Digidestined brought Kari up to speed, the Emperor was scheming. With the defeat of Daemon, he had officially dissolved their partnership and was now their adversary once again, and he intended to act as such.

Slowly, so as to avoid any unwanted attention, he began walking towards Daemon's comatose form. Having gotten there undetected, the tyrant reached down and took the Crest of Darkness from around the Demon Lord's neck.

"Now I'll be the most powerful being the Digital World has ever seen," he mumbled darkly.

Much to his surprise, he felt a strong hand on his shoulder. The Emperor spun around punching, but his fist was deflected easily by his adversary's palm.

"I do believe that's mine Ken," said George, referring to the Crest.

"It's mine now Helltower," said the Emperor, "it won't do to leave it here where that buffoon can take it again."

"Leave it here?" asked Davis, "but George would be taking it."

"My point exactly," said the Emperor who now had everyone's attention, "you all aren't going anywhere. You're trapped here with no way out! In one fell swoop I've dealt with the Demon Lords and the Digidestined!"

The Emperor began laughing evilly as he reached for his transportation button.

Just before he touched it, however, George grabbed the Crest from his hand.

"You know what they say Ken," he said, "fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. I knew you'd double cross us, and this time, I was a few steps ahead of you."

"Fine, keep the blasted Crest," said the Emperor, "a fat lot of good it'll do you here!"

With that, the Emperor hit his transport button and disappeared.

"He's stranded us here!" snarled Cody, "I knew we couldn't trust him!"

As the others began to panic, George remained perfectly calm.

"It's fine," he said, "Gennai will pull us out of here."

"But how will Gennai know to pull us out?" asked a panic stricken Yolei, "I could waste away my whole life here. No more video games! No more candy! No more cute boys!"

"Enough!" said George sternly, "Gennai will know to extract us because of the Emperor's return. In his haste to leave us behind, the Emperor forgot that he came from Gennai's portal."

"He came from Gennai's portal?" asked Izzy, "but why?"

"His had broken his own computer, so my guess is that was the quickest way," replied George.

"And how do you know that that's where Ken came from?" inquired Cody.

"A little digimon told me," said George, gesturing in the direction opposite DemiCrocmon, but everyone was so relieved that they were going to go home that they didn't notice.

Soon, they were all engulfed by a strange ray of light, which pulled them out of the Realm of Darkness and returned them to the Digital World. Gennai was smiling at them.

"You have no idea how good it is to see you again," said the old man, "I'd thought you had died!"

"We're alright Gennai," said Tai, "thanks to you and Gatomon!"

George pulled out a beer and started chuckling.

"You know," he said, "before this adventure I thought that the scariest thing out there was a mad helicopter mom. Now I know better."

"…so what do you think is the scariest thing out there?" asked Mimi curiously.

"A pissed off female angel," said George, raising his bottle in a toast to Gatomon and taking a swig, "an excellent performance Gatomon."

The feline digimon blushed at the compliment.

"Thanks," she said.

The Digidestined laughed and returned to the real world, leaving behind George, DemiCrocmon, and Gennai.

"That was a close call today," said George wiping his sweaty brow, "…it was nice to have Ken fight on my side again though."

"You do realize he was fighting for all the wrong reasons though," remarked Gennai.

"Yes," said George, "but it's a start."

* * *

Back in the Realm of Darkness, Daemon awakened. The Crest of Darkness having been removed, he was back to his powered down, cloaked, form.

"Curse you Child of Light!" exploded the Lord of Wrath, "you haven't seen the last of me!"

"Temper, temper Daemon," said another, calmer voice, "you have not completely failed."

"Lucemon?" asked the startled Demon Lord, "but how? I didn't get to use the power of the Light."

"True," said the voice, "but since it was here, a tiny crack has formed in my prison. It will take time, but I shall be freed, and when I am, we will have our revenge!"

Narrator: When will the Demon Lords Strike next? What will the Emperor do now that he has decided to stay in the Digital World permanently? Find out next time on Digimon: Digital Monsters!

* * *

21: Not too shabby eh?

George: But I though according to canon Kari's Angewomon was supposed to digivolve into Magnadramon?

21: I'm glad you mentioned that. First of all, this isn't canon. If it was, I wouldn't be writing it. Second, in my time line, Willis doesn't exist, therefore that whole movie arc is null and void. Third, why in the hell would Angewomon digivolve into a goat dragon? Who on Earth would think that's a good idea? So, I used my 'outside of canon' powers and made a little aesthetic change. Given that most people who read Season 2 rewrites are pissed off with the canon anyways, I think I can get away with it...

George: So, if I might ask, how did you originally envision this sequence going?

21: I hadn't originally intended to bring in the Dark Ocean at all. Originally, you were going to be transported into one of the Emperor's territories and get beaten around for a bit until the Digidestined found you or you escaped. It was only supposed to last for about 1/2 a chapter. This was never supposed to be a two-part arc. Even when I started writing about the Dark World, I had originally intended for Dragomon to be the final boss of the area, and to end the arc with chapter 9, but nope, my fingers betrayed my true thoughts and wrote something that, I think, is much better. (Plus we actually get to see some of the older Odaiba Digidestined's digimon digivolve past Champion a little earlier in this time line as an added bonus.)

Sponsor: Can we please just go home now? It's almost midnight!

21: Ah yes, I'd have posted this sooner, but FanFic's document uploader was giving me a little trouble, so I couldn't upload chapter 10.

Sponsor: FINE I DON'T CARE! I WANT TO GO HOME!

21: One last thing, those with careful eyes will notice I plagiarized my description of CyborgDragonmon from D0: The Terrible Three (but it's okay since I gave myself permission to so do...).

George: Hey 21, I've just figured out who our Sponsor is!

21: Who?

George: With a temper like that, he must be Daemon!

Sponsor: I AM NOT DAEMON! I AM A NORMAL HUMAN BEING...NOT LIKE YOU TWO!

21: Right, well, we'll see you whenever I update next.

21 and George leave, locking the Sponsor in the building.

Sponsor: HEY! YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME! LET ME OUT OF HERE RIGHT NOW!...guys?


	11. The Living Skeleton

21: Hey, hey every peoples. As promised here is another update!

Sponsor: About time you lunkheads got back here! I've been stuck here since your last update!

George: You know, you'd think he'd be used to getting locked in the building by now.

21: Yeah, we've done it to him several times now.

George: Oh well, it can't be helped.

Sponsor: Can we please just get on with it?

21: Absolutely, we're just waiting on you...

Sponsor: Fine, the21stMartian doesn't own Digimon. Now let's get a move on. I've got to get home!

21: Very well. Without further ado, I present an interesting little number, and the latest addition to my ever expanding story namely...

Episode 11: The Living Skeleton

(Sora): "Last time, Gennai told us about the Demon Lords, and we traveled into the Realm of Darkness to confront Daemon, the Lord of Wrath, who was plotting to use Kari's Crest of Light in conjunction with his own Crest of Darkness to free Lucemon, another Demon Lord, from his eternal prison. Fortunately, at the last minute, Gatomon digivolved all the way to Ophanimon and defeated Daemon…I'm glad that adventure is over.

George sat in Gennai's living room, tinkering with his broken sunglasses. As he worked, he began to analyze the situation.

"Greymon is guarding eastern Driver. Birdramon is guarding the desert on western Server, while Kabuterimon is guarding Server's jungles in the northeast," said the Warrior of Power, thinking out loud, "Ikkakumon is guarding the northern tundra, Garurumon is guarding the area near Santa Geria, and Togamon is guarding the Central Jungle area located on Databank…but it isn't enough."

"Well," said Gennai, "what should we do about that?"

"I think it's time to pay a visit to an old friend," replied the fallen warrior, donning the repaired shades, "I'll make the arrangements."

* * *

The Digimon Emperor was watching the many monitors in his control room. On them were the six partners of the elder Odaiba Digidestined. While he was miffed that the Digidestined had managed to escape from the Realm of Darkness, he wasn't unduly concerned. After all, now that he was in the Digital World full time, he could easily overwhelm them, even with Helltower helping them.

"That old fool is washed up," mumbled the Emperor, "and once I begin my latest scheme, they'll all fall before my superior might!"

The Emperor pushed a button and all of the screens changed to display Greymon, who was stomping around the forest, watching out from Control Spires.

"You're first," he said smirking.

* * *

Upon returning home from their adventure, the Odaiba Digidestined returned to their respective homes. Thus, we find Izzy frantically typing at his laptop, trying to duplicate the events in the Realm of Darkness.

"We managed to negate the dampening effect in the Realm of Darkness," he muttered, "If I can figure out how, we can negate it in our Digital World."

* * *

The Lucky Leomon bar was almost literally a hole in the wall The bartender was a rough looking digimon known as Lohoclamon, a shady digimon who had run the establishment since it first opened in the year 2000A.D.D. Roachmon frequented the establishment, climbing the walls and scuttling around the floors, and yet it was one of the most popular taverns in the Digital World. Why? Because it served the best and most potent beverages in the entire world. Back during UltimateChaosmon's reign of terror, the bar would be frequented by soldiers of the Great Digital Army, usually to honor those who fell in battle against the former leader of the D-Brigade, an elite army of digimon who had fought alongside George and the other original Digidestined during the Great Digital War.

George himself was to be found somewhere in the bar almost every single day during that campaign, sitting apart from the soldiers and moping. This pattern continued until the army's general, who was a friend of George's, had come up to him and offered him a drink…the rest was history.

Lohoclamon looked up from cleaning the mugs as two individuals entered. The bartender was mildly surprised; it had been a while since these two had been there…not since the last anniversary of the defeat of UltimateChaosmon several hundred years ago. One of the individuals was a green digimon with an airfoil; the other was none other than George Helltower.

"It is agreeable to see you again Mr. Helltower," said the green digimon as the two took their seats in a shadowy booth, "although I can't understand why you wanted to meet here instead of New Lionheart City…"

"It's nice to see you again too, my old friend," replied George, "and I chose this venue because it has history, and, I can guarantee we won't be overheard here."

Lohoclamon sidled over to the two with their usual beverages of choice causing George to smile.

"It's been about 500 years and you still remember our usual drinks," he said, "you're getting a nice big tip tonight."

"Thank you sir," said the bartender digimon in a smooth tone, "you were my best customers after all…"

After their host had found his way back behind the counter, George and Fujinmon lifted their glasses in a toast.

"To old friends," said the green digimon somberly.

"Here, here," said George.

Having completed their usual ritual, and their first round of drinks, it was time to get down to business.

"So my friend," said Fujinmon, as the two continued their drinking, "what is it that I can do for you?"

"I need you to organize an army of digimon who are willing to fight the Emperor," said the fallen warrior, "as things stand, the new Digidestined are going to get overwhelmed by the Emperor sooner or later. It would be nice if they had backup."

Fujinmon took another large gulp, finishing his second beverage.

"I thought you were the backup?" he said.

"I'm not enough," said George also finishing his second beverage, "Ken's even draining me of power."

"He's draining everyone's power," corrected Fujinmon, "which could make organizing an army difficult."

"Ikkakumon managed it in the tundra," commented George, beginning his third drink.

"That was after the Control Spire had been knocked down," said the former general.

"So?" asked George, "the army could be used to defend areas that the Emperor hasn't taken hold of yet. That way, the Digidestined wouldn't have to spend energy defending those areas and could focus solely on offensive maneuvers."

"Makes sense," commented the general beginning to stare into space.

There followed several minutes of silence as the two old friends finished their third and forth beverages. Finally, shaking his head, Fujinmon broke the silence.

"No can do," he said, "it's impossible."

"Why?" pressed George, "you yourself said it makes sense!"

"Yes," acknowledged the former general, "but I can do nothing. I am an old mon…to old for fighting anymore."

"Nobody said you have to battle the Emperor yourself," said George, "there are other ways of fighting…remember the Dark Masters?"

"…what of them?" asked the green digimon.

"I very rarely actually engaged them in battle," said George, "with the exception of when they attempted to take over my home on Upload Island, and even then I didn't fight to win."

"Your point?" questioned Fujinmon.

George sighed.

"I mostly encouraged other digimon to fight against the tyranny of the Dark Masters and was the poster child of the Resistance," he explained, "I'd give motivational speeches, that's about it."

"Fine, but you still fought," protested the former general, "even if it wasn't very often."

"Alright," acknowledged George, "bad example…but remember during the Great Digital War, Andromon's task was to coordinate the battles. He himself never fought. He also did the same for the Battle of Tritania."

"True," mused Fujinmon, "but he was much younger than I am. I'm an old mon."

"All the more reason for you to lead," pressed George, "you have millennia of experience. Not many other digimon can say that…besides, I'm still fighting the good fight, and I'm almost as old as you."

The former general chuckled.

"Yes," he affirmed, "but you also age more gracefully than I do…you still look exactly like you did when you were 1000."

"Thanks," commented Helltower wryly, "but that's beside the point."

"Well it doesn't change the fact that I'm old and don't have as much clout with the higher-ups as some other potential candidates," remarked Fujinmon.

Helltower looked his old friend square in the eyes so that he could see the sincerity there.

"You are General Fujinmon of the Tritanian army," said the fallen warrior, "you have thousands of years of combat experience, which makes your opinion count more than anyone else's. I wouldn't trust anyone but you to lead an army against the Digimon Emperor…not even myself."

Bolstered by George's vote of absolute confidence (and likely by some of the beverages he had been consuming) Fujinmon finally agreed to George's idea.

"I'll present the idea to the higher ups tomorrow morning," he said, signaling Lohoclamon for a final round of drinks.

The bartender came over with the drinks already poured.

"Last call gentlemen," he said smoothly, handing over the potables.

George held up his glass.

"To my friend Fujinmon," he said, "no finer a digimon can be found anywhere on this planet."

The green digimon chuckled.

"I'll drink to that," he said, clinking his glass to George's.

The two old friends finished their final drinks, paid Lohoclamon (including the big tip George had promised), and stumbled their separate ways, Fujinmon to New Lionheart City, and George returning to his home on Upload Island.

* * *

The Emperor glided silently through the night on his Airdramon minions. His destination? Greymon's territory, more specifically the last known location of Tai Kamiya's partner. His purpose? …well, you'll see.

As silent as death, the Airdramon flew over the forest looking for the orange dinosaur. Eventually, they found him taking a nap near a stream.

"Well, well, well," said the Emperor, "I guess it's true what they say…you snooze, you lose."

The young tyrant pushed a button on his control panel, summoning a Dark Ring. Another click sent it flying towards the sleeping Greymon, who remained oblivious to the Emperor's presence.

* * *

George woke up feeling groggy, which was unusual for him. His hair was messy and sticking out at odd angles, his clothes were wrinkled and slightly stained, he smelled of alcohol, and his eyes were fairly bloodshot. (Not to mention his killer hangover.)

"Ugh," he said, "would someone get the license number of the truck that hit me?"

"Well, well, well," said Crocmon somewhat mockingly, "look what the Gatomon dragged in…what did you get up to last night?"

"I went out for drinks with Fujinmon," came the reply, "…you know how that goes."

"How many'd you have?" asked his partner, slightly concerned.

"Lost track after four," mumbled the fallen warrior, "and could you keep it down? Some of us have a headache."

"Well," replied Crocmon, "perhaps some of us should have considered the consequences of his actions last night before he developed said headache."

"Oh shut up," said George angrily, "I'll have you know I was meeting with Fujinmon on a professional basis!"

"I'll bet," scoffed the reptilian digimon.

"It's true!" exclaimed George, "I had an idea I wanted him to run with."

"Might I ask what this idea of yours was?" asked Crocmon skeptically.

"I suggested that Fujinmon gather an army of digimon in order to fight the Digimon Emperor," said George, "groups of digimon are fighting him now, but they're unorganized, so it's not doing much good. With an experienced digimon at the helm, a united digimon army can do some major damage to the Emperor's forces."

"Not a bad idea," acknowledged Crocmon, "but did you have to have so many drinks to suggest it?"

"It was easier to convince Fujinmon to lead the army when he's got a few shots in him," said George unapologetically, "besides, we always drink to honor our fallen comrades; you know that."

Crocmon sighed. He wasn't going to win this one.

"At least clean yourself off," he said, "you can't go around looking like that all day."

"Agreed," said George, as he picked up a towel and headed towards the shower.

Unfortunately, his towel accidentally clipped a nearby lamp causing it to crash loudly on the floor.

George's scream of pain echoed within his living quarters in Gargantuan Mountain.

* * *

Izzy was staring at the map on the computer and not liking it one bit.

"This can't be," he muttered as the younger Digidestined entered the computer lab.

"What's up Izzy?" asked Davis.

"Is something wrong?" asked Kari.

"Look at this!" exclaimed Izzy, pointing at the map, a good chunk of territory on eastern Driver had turned black.

"But," began Yolei, "wasn't Greymon guarding that area?"

"My thoughts exactly," said Izzy.

"So how'd the Emperor get passed him?" wondered Davis.

"It's obvious," said Cody, "the Emperor must have captured Greymon."

Kari's eyes widened.

"No," she whispered, "not Agumon…"

"That's ridiculous!" scoffed Davis, "Greymon's too tough to be captured by the Emperor!"

"Biyomon, Tentomon, Gabumon, Gomamon, and Palmon were also tough," said Cody, "but the Emperor managed to capture them easily enough…"

"But," began Davis.

"I happen to agree with Cody," said Izzy, "unfortunately it is the most logical answer to this conundrum…"

"Well?" asked Kari, "what're we waiting for? Let's go find Agumon and save him from the Emperor!"

"It's not that easy Kari," said Izzy, "we don't even know where Agumon is at this point."

"Well then find him!" exclaimed the Child of Light, "we have to save my brother's partner!"

"Easy Kari," said Gatomon, "you need to take a chill pill. We'll save Agumon, but rushing blindly ahead won't help."

Kari calmed down and smiled at her partner.

"You're right," she said, "thanks Gatomon!"

At that moment, Crocmon appeared on the screen.

"What's up Izzy?" asked the reptilian digimon, "you tried calling, but George wasn't awake yet."

"We've got a bit of a crisis," said the genius, "it would appear as though the Emperor has captured Greymon."

"You sure?" asked George who appeared in the background wearing his shades, holding a coffee, and wiping off his wet hair with a towel. (All in all, he was looking a lot better than he had before his shower and the caffeine was helping with his hangover.)

"Fairly certain," ascertained Izzy, "at the very least, the Emperor has captured all of the territory Greymon was protecting."

Throwing the towel aside, George rushed up to a nearby monitor. There followed several minutes of clicking as the fallen warrior pulled up the map program to confirm Izzy's statement.

"…that's not good," he said, taking a sip of his coffee.

"No shit!" shouted Davis from the other end, "now what're we gonna do about it?"

"Good morning to you too Mr. Motomiya," said George sarcastically.

"This is no time for your terrible sense of humor," said Kari, "we've got to rescue Greymon!"

"…and do we even know where Greymon is right now?" asked George.

"…no," acknowledged Kari, "but we should at least try to find him!"

"I'm working on that," said George, "I've got my surveillance cams up and running. If Greymon appears, I'll know about it."

"What do we do in the meantime?" asked Yolei, "can we still go Spire busting?"

"Certainly," said George, "I've got some stuff to take care of myself, but I may join you later. If I get a bead on Greymon, I'll let you know."

"Understood," said Cody stiffly.

"We'll be in touch!" said Crocmon as he signed off.

"Let's go kick the Emperor's ass!" shouted Davis enthusiastically.

"Yeah!" exclaimed DemiVeemon, jumping up and down.

"Where should we go?" asked Poromon.

"Why don't we try to take back some of Greymon's territory?" asked Izzy, "If the Emperor is still in that area, he'll likely show up and bring Greymon."

"Good idea Izzy!" exclaimed Patamon, "you're so smart!"

Sweatdropping, Izzy selected an area within Greymon's former territory and the younger Odaiba Digidestined held up their D3s. A flash of light later, they were gone.

* * *

"What do you think about the whole Greymon situation?" asked Crocmon after he had signed off communications with the other Digidestined.

"I think I talked to Fujinmon at the right time," replied George, "the Emperor is getting gutsier with his plans. It's likely he's going to target all of the Odaiba Digidestined's partners."

The fallen warrior walked away from the monitor that was running the scan for Greymon and over to another one.

"Fujinmon said he'd call around now," he said, "in fact, that's who I thought had called while I was in the shower."

"What do we do now?" asked the reptilian digimon.

"…we wait," replied George, "and pray."

* * *

The Digidestined found themselves on a scorched terrain. Nearby were several pools of lava and a sulfurous smell filled the air. A Control Spire loomed a few miles away.

"Let's blast that Spire!" exclaimed Davis.

He and Veemon charged towards the evil tower, but as they approached the nearest lava pit, several orange creatures emerged. They appeared to be made of pure flames which were in a humanoid shape. Their mouths were stitched, allowing them to only partially open them. Around their necks were Dark Rings, which caused their normally blue eyes to be blood red.

"What the hell?" swore Davis.

"Those are Meramon," drawled Armadillomon, "watch out for their Fireball attacks or they'll barbecue you like a well done steak…and now I'm hungry."

"Let's get 'em Veemon!" exclaimed Davis.

Promptly, Veemon armor digivolved into Flamedramon and launched an attack at the lead Meramon.

"Fire Rocket!"

The fire digimon smirked as his body absorbed the attack, causing him to grow bigger.

"You moron!" shouted Yolei, "even you can't be so stupid as to think you can actually beat fire with fire!"

"I'd like to see you do better smartass!" yelled Davis.

"With pleasure!" exclaimed Yolei, after which Hawkmon armor digivolved into Halsemon.

"Tempest Wing!"

The Meramon seemed to grow even larger as the gales caused by Halsemon's attack fanned their flame bodies.

Yolei looked aghast.

"Ha!" scoffed Davis, "who's the idiot now?"

As Yolei turned to yell at Davis some more, Cody stepped in.

"Fighting amongst ourselves is counter productive," said the 4th grader, "Digmon can take care of this."

In moments, the small armadillo was gone and Digmon had appeared.

"Rock Cracking!"

The ground underneath the Meramon broke apart as Digmon's attack caused the terrain to crumble. The controlled digimon fell into the pit of lava below them.

"Yeah!" exclaimed Davis, "it's over!"

But the gogglehead's celebrations were proved to be premature as the Meramon climbed out of the fiery pit, completely unscathed.

"Aww man!" he said sadly.

* * *

Back on Upload Island, George was finishing his coffee as he received a video call. The fallen warrior drained what was left of his caffeinated beverage, and picked up. Fujinmon appeared on the other end looking slightly worse for wear, but extremely happy.

"It's done!" he said, "the higher ups approved of your idea. I am now the Grand Marshal of the United Digital Forces."

"That's wonderful," exclaimed George, as a smile broke out on his face, "first good news I've heard all day."

"Unfortunately," continued the newly appointed Grand Marshal, "although we have a leader, we don't have very many men. Also, you should remember that we won't be finding too many Megas after the Dark Master's purge a few hundred years ago."

"How many men do you have at this point?" asked George.

"A few dozen ragtag soldiers," replied Fujinmon, "all of which are below Ultimate level."

"We've got our first crisis," said George, "it would appear as though the Emperor has capture Greymon, the partner of Tai Kamiya."

"…he has?" asked Fujinmon, "This is serious."

"Yeah," said George, "but there must be something else going on here. I feel like the Emperor has bigger plans than we know right now."

"What do we do?" asked Fujinmon.

"For now, you must gather more troops," replied George, "and prepare for the inevitable conflict with Greymon."

"Understood," said Fujinmon, "I'll start upping our recruitment."

"Good," said George preparing to sign off, "keep in touch!"

The green digimon nodded and the two friends signed off. At that moment, George glanced at his monitor that was displaying the results of his scan for Greymon.

The fallen warrior's eyes widened. He was heading straight for the other Digidestined!

* * *

"This is bad," said Kari, "we need to destroy that Spire!"

The Meramon were proving to be formidable opponents. Any time one of the armor digimon came close to damaging a Dark Ring, or any time one of the Meramon got hurt, all it would have to do was hide in one of the lava pits. The Dark Rings were, apparently, immune to the lava, and the lava healed the Meramon.

"If we can hurt all of them at once, we will have chance to knock down the Spire," said Cody, "then we won't have to fight anymore."

"Good idea," exclaimed Yolei, giving the 4th grader a 'thumbs up', "perfecto!"

"Just one problem," said TK, "there's too many of them!"

"He's right," agreed Kari, "even with Pegasusmon and Nefertimon we're still outnumbered."

"What do we do?" growled Davis.

Suddenly, the gogglehead's mini computer beeped, indicating that he got an email.

"George must have found Greymon!" exclaimed Kari as Davis pulled out his D-Terminal. A frown appeared on the gogglehead's face as he read George's message.

"What's wrong?" asked Cody.

"Greymon is heading in this direction," said Davis, "and the Emperor is with him."

"Great," said Yolei sarcastically, "just what we needed."

Sure enough, on the horizon, several Airdramon were seen approaching. They were lifting Tai's partner off the ground with them via several strong cables. On the head of the lead Airdramon was the Digimon Emperor, a confident smirk across his features.

"Greetings Digifools," scoffed the Emperor as his procession approached, "I'm very glad to see you."

"You are?" asked TK confusedly, as Cody raised an eyebrow.

Whatever the Emperor was planning, it wasn't good if he was actually happy to see the Digidestined.

"Yes," said the Emperor, "you see you shall be the guinea pigs in my latest experiment!"

"Give back Agumon you son of a bitch!" shouted Davis.

"I don't think he wants to come back," said the Emperor, "in fact, the instrument of your destruction shall be MetalGreymon."

"Metal what now?" asked Davis, as TK and Kari gasped.

The Emperor laughed as he held up his dark digivice.

"Greymon!" he shouted, "Dark Digivolve!"

A black bolt of lighting shot out of the Emperor's digivice and hit Greymon, who was then bathed in the black light. The wind picked up around Greymon, causing the cables that held the dinosaur to the Airdramon to snap, which sent the Airdramon flying. Greymon plummeted to the ground, still enveloped in the dark light.

"Greymon dark digivolve to—SkullGreymon!"

"What?" shouted the Emperor, "SkullGreymon?"

Instead of MetalGreymon, a massive skeletal dinosaur landed in front of the Digidestined. He was bigger than a tyrannosaurus and had an evil looking orange rocket on his back attached to his spinal cord.

"What the heck is that?" asked a frazzled Yolei.

"SkullGreymon," explained TK, "an Ultimate level digimon. His Dark Shot is more powerful than an atomic bomb…but at least it isn't radioactive."

"I thought he said MetalGreymon," said Cody.

"He did," said Kari sadly, "something must have gone wrong…poor Agumon!"

"Enough analyzing, let's get out of here!" shouted TK remembering Tai's screw up in the Server desert, "We're no match for that thing!"

"Fuck you!" said Davis, "we need to save Agumon!"

Roaring, SkullGreymon charged towards the Digidestined, who cringed at his approach. However, instead of attacking them, the skeletal dinosaur began destroying the Meramon. Although the fiery beasts tried to fight back, they were no match for the evil Ultimate, who punched through them, ripped them apart, or trampled them to death. Needless to say, the Emperor was not pleased.

"What the hell is going on here?" he shouted, "SkullGreymon obey me!"

In response, the skeletal dino began clawing at the enslaved Airdramon.

"Fine!" shouted the Emperor, "you wanna play rough? I'll give you rough!"

Blowing a whistle, the Emperor summoned several large black tyrannosaurus-like monsters with giant claws and bandages on their right hands.

"Behold my army of DarkTyrannomon!" shouted the Emperor, "a virus corrupted the data of the worthless Tyrannomon and transformed him into this fighting machine!"

As the DarkTyrannomon ganged up on SkullGreymon, the Digidestined remained transfixed at the awesome power displayed by such a fragile looking digimon. The corrupted digimon took down the DarkTyrannomon's assault as easily and instinctively as breathing. With all other adversaries eliminated, he turned to the five armor digimon.

Cody was completely immobilized in shock.

"H-he killed them all!" exclaimed the 4th grader, "Ken has transformed Agumon into a monster!"

As the demon stomped towards them, the Digidestined stood, powerless against such an opponent. The armor digimon moved in front of them.

"Move!" shouted Flamedramon.

"You're making a pretty big target," commented Pegasusmon.

Although the digimon encouraged them, the Digidestined just couldn't move. In one fell swipe, SkullGreymon slashed all five armor digimon causing all but Nefertimon and Pegasusmon to dedigivolve into their In-Training level (they dedigivolved into Gatomon and Patamon respectively), leaving the Digidestined defenseless.

"Dark Shot!"

The demon dragon's single missile sped towards the Digidestined, a harbinger of their demise.

* * *

Watching from far above the battlefield, the Emperor had a momentary grin. While it was true that SkullGreymon was out of his control, the Digibrats would still be defeated. He could easily work on controlling Ultimate and higher level digimon at his own leisure once the Digidestined were killed.

Suddenly, Ken noticed something unwelcome appearing on the edge of his vision, speeding towards the Digidestined from the opposite direction of the missile…George Helltower had arrived.

* * *

"YAAAAHHHH!"

The Digidestined heard a bizarre scream coming from behind them and barely had time to turn around when George flew over their heads towards the missile.

"Wha-?" began Yolei.

Kari's eyes widened.

"He's not…" she said breathlessly.

"He is," said TK, shaking his head sadly.

"What the hell are you two blabbering about?" asked Davis.

"George is going to intercept that missile," remarked Cody.

"But is he powerful enough to take an Ultimate's attack in his condition?" wondered TK.

"Too late for questioning," commented the 4th grader pointing, "It's done."

* * *

Having charged out of his control room as soon as he discovered Greymon's location, George had found that, indeed, the Emperor's scheme was more than it first seemed. Ken was now planning on controlling Ultimate level digimon. So far, it hadn't been a rip-roaring success, but George knew that Ken would figure it out sooner or later.

All these thoughts passed through his head as he charged headlong towards the incoming missile. His last thought before impact was, "I don't think this was such a good idea."

* * *

George collided with the missile at high speed, actually pushing the projectile backwards towards the Control Spire. Unfortunately, George knew that in order to redirect the attack, he'd have to hold on the entire time (since he could barely backhand a Champion level attack, there was no way he'd be able to backhand an Ultimate level attack). As such, the Warrior of Power was still holding onto the missile when it exploded near the Control Spire.

The resulting explosion toppled the evil tower and completely vaporized the nearby ground. At the epicenter of the explosion, a large crater had formed.

When the smoke cleared, it was revealed that George had fallen upside down into the crater. His head was buried under the ground, with the rest of his slightly charred body sticking out like a weird vegetable. His legs twitched a bit until he succumbed to unconsciousness.

Fortunately for the Digidestined, firing off his attack had drained the remainder of SkullGreymon's energy. The skeletal dragon was enveloped in a white light and dedigivolved all the way back to Agumon, who was caught midair by one of the Emperor's remaining Airdramon. The Emperor glanced at the crater and noticed that the Digidestined had managed to pull George out of the crater. The fallen warrior's head was bleeding like a bad poker player. It was clear by his pale complexion that George Helltower was not going to survive this one without severe medical attention.

"Hmph!" thought the Emperor, "it looks like it's up to me to save Helltower's sorry ass once again."

Ken Ichijouji hopped off his Airdramon, signaled for it to return to base, and walked over towards the Digidestined. Cody noticed his approach and immediately grabbed a broken shard of the Control Spire to use as a makeshift shinai.

"Don't come any closer!" he exclaimed.

"Can it short stuff!" said the Emperor, "I'm here to give you a hand."

"Why would you do that?" asked Cody suspiciously, "you want George to die."

The Emperor sighed.

"I do hate repeating myself," he said, "as I stated before, while it is true that I want Helltower to die, I myself want to be the cause. As such, I cannot afford to let him die until I can kill him personally."

"But…" began Cody.

"Look shorty," said the Emperor, "it's your choice. He'll die if he doesn't get help, and I'm willing to help."

"It's true," reasoned TK, "there's no use killing a man who's already dying…"

Cody stood aside.

"Very well," he said, "but if you betray us…"

"Don't worry," said the Emperor taking out a swath of cotton, "all I'm going to do is bandage his head wound. He's already lost a lot of blood, but since it's digital it should replicate relatively quickly once the bleeding is stopped…he told me that once. After that, it should be safe for you to take him back to that miserable planet you call home and get him proper medical attention."

Carefully, the Emperor wrapped the cotton around George's bloody head, cleaning the wounds as best he could along the way.

"Don't you dare die on me Helltower!" he whispered, "I'm not finished with you yet!"

George's left eye opened slightly.

"I wouldn't dare dream of it," he mumbled, and then passed out again.

* * *

"This is bad," said Izzy, who was again monitoring the situation from the real world, "I need to call Joe!"

Although Izzy knew that Joe was incapable of dealing with the severe wounds George had, he also knew that calling for an ambulance without a body being present was a bad idea. Thus he resolved to call Joe so that they could together determine the best course of action to take in this particular situation.

"I sure hope we can think of something," thought Izzy, "because it looks like George won't be thinking for quite a while…"

* * *

"There," said the Emperor, as he finished wrapping the last bandage, "it's not much, but it'll get him home."

"Good," said Cody, "and now that that business is taken care of, you're coming with us Ken."

"I'm afraid not little man," mocked the Emperor, "I have no intention of giving up my quest to conquer this planet. I may have hit a slight hitch, but it's nothing I can't deal with…mark my words, I'm not finished yet."

With that, before Cody could grab him, the Emperor teleported back into his home base.

"Damn!" he said, "he got away!"

"Don't worry about that right now Cody," said TK.

"…but Agumon," remarked the 4th grader.

"Can wait," finished Kari, "George on the other hand, cannot wait. He's got to be our priority now."

Solemnly, Cody agreed, and the Odaiba Digidestined began the difficult task of hauling the comatose George to the nearest DigiPort which, fortunately, wasn't that far away.

"Whew," said Davis, as they plunked down George's makeshift stretcher in front of the TV that housed the DigiPort, "all that's left now it to transport him through. It'll be easy as pie!"

"Hold it!" said Yolei, "remember when Tai was hurt? George had to stabilize the DigiPort so that Tai could pass through safely. Since George is in worse condition, it stands to reason that the portal must be stabilized this time too."

"Fine," said Davis sarcastically, "but who's going to do it? What do you know about stabilizing DigiPorts?"

"I can take care of this," said a voice from above.

The Digidestined looked up to see Sobekmon.

"About time you got here!" chastised Cody, "your partner is in grave peril."

The steel soldier looked fairly pale himself behind his armor, but he was hanging onto his energy by sheer willpower to help his partner.

Yanking off his armored gauntlets, Sobekmon manipulated the knobs on the TV carefully. Eventually, Izzy appeared on the screen looking crystal clear. It was almost as if the boy genius was there with them.

"Whoa!" exclaimed Davis, "that's some good reception!"

"The best," muttered Sobekmon, as he began to falter, "now hurry up and send George through, it won't remain stable for long, and I don't have the energy to stabilize it again."

"Right!" said Kari, holding up her D3 with one hand, and George's arm, which was holding his digivice, in the other, "DigiPort open!"

In a flash of light, the two disappeared. After a few moments, the others followed.

* * *

The Emperor sat in his control room and glanced at the screen displaying his experiment room. On the screen was a battered Agumon, Dark Ring still encircling his neck.

The Emperor looked at the diagnostics screens he had set up before the experiment. Everything was in perfect working condition; it was time to begin.

"Agumon digivolve!" shouted the Emperor.

"Agumon digivolve to—Greymon!"

The Emperor looked at his screens; everything was still fine. Time to take it up another notch.

"Greymon dark digivolve into MetalGreymon!" commanded the Emperor.

"Greymon dark digivolve to—SkullGreymon!"

Once again, the skeletal dinosaur appeared instead of MetalGreymon, and, once again, it began breaking everything in sight. SkullGreymon launched several missiles at the ceiling, causing a chunk of it to crumble. The evil digimon then attempted to escape through the hole it had just created, but was fried by an electrical firewall set up by the Emperor.

"Whew," said Ken, "that was close."

The Emperor looked at his diagnostics screen again and realized that his Dark Ring was being overpowered.

"So that's what's happening," he said, "very well, then it's just a matter of making the Dark Ring more powerful."

* * *

George awakened in an unknown location. He was lying in a soft and comfortable bed, with extra support around his head. There was a remote just within reach of his right hand, (as his left arm was at the receiving end of an IV unit) and a nightstand next to the bed. On the nightstand were 'get well' cards, George's sunglasses, and a vase of flowers. On the other side of the bed was a plushy arm chair along with a little table. On the wall opposite the bed, was a large television.

"Ah, so you're awake," said a nearby feminine voice.

The fallen warrior tried to sit up to see who was talking, but he sat up too quickly, got very dizzy, and fell backwards again.

"Easy," said the voice, "you took a severe blow to your noggin. You need to be a little more careful or your wounds will open again."

Slowly and carefully this time, George tried to sit up again; the room's other occupant, who turned out to be a nurse, helped him. George fumbled around for a moment before finding his sunglasses and putting them on.

"There now," she said, "how are you feeling?"

"Positively famished," said Helltower, "how long have I been incapacitated?"

"A few days now," replied the nurse, "I'll send for some dinner, but in the meantime, I believe you have some visitors."

"Much obliged," said George, as the nurse left.

Shortly thereafter, the older Odaiba Digidestined entered along with a doctor and a blue eyed, brunette woman who appeared to be George's [human] age. The woman was wearing jeans and a black T-Shirt with a picture of one of George's virtual reality game systems on the front and the words "Helltower Corporation: Games of the Future" written above it in gold. On the back, also in gold was emblazoned "Vice President Terazez." Her hair was tied back in a ponytail, and she was wearing a black baseball cap with a 'HC' written on it. She was carrying a very fancy black purse.

"See?" Tai was saying, "I told you he'd be fine!"

"Ah," said George happily, "greetings and felicitations my friends! I apologize for not being able to stand to greet you all properly, but I appear to be slightly worse for wear."

"Does he normally act like this?" whispered the doctor to the brunette.

"Not usually," she replied, "but then again, he isn't usually very normal either."

"Still," whispered the doctor, "we have to consider that there may have been some brain damage as a result of his injury."

"Are you feeling alright George?" asked the brunette.

"I feel splendid," replied George amiably, "chipper and ready to depart forthwith!"

"Huh?" asked Tai, "why are you talking funny George?"

"George," said the brunette, "do you remember who we are?"

"Certainly," said George looking a little confused, "you are Lady Hannah, and they are Lady Sora, Lady Mimi, Sir Taichi, Sir Yamato, Sir Koushiro, and Sir Jyou."

"Do you know who you are?" prompted Hannah.

"I am Lord George Samuel Helltower Esquire," replied George proudly, "gentleman extraordinaire."

The Digidestined and doctor looked a little confused.

"Is there some issue with my response?" asked Lord Helltower.

"Not at all," said Hannah reassuringly, "but I think you're going to need a lot of rest."

"Wherefore do I require rest?" asked the gentleman, "I feel absolutely dandy!"

Lucky for Hannah, George's dinner arrived, and he was distracted before she could answer.

"Excellent," he said, "I could use a good tuck in!"

As George began to carefully and tidily eat the provided food, the Odaiba Digidestined gathered around Hannah and the doctor.

"What's the matter with him?" asked Matt, "he's not acting like himself."

"Could you describe some of the oddities please?" asked the doctor.

"For one thing, he's not freaking out about being here," began Matt.

"He's kinda got a 'thing' about doctors," explained Mimi, as the doctor looked confused.

"For another," continued Sora, "George usually is a very sloppy eater."

"Not to mention the funny way he's talking," added Tai.

"Yes," agreed Izzy, "his behavior has been most peculiar since he woke up."

"Well Joe," asked the doctor, "what do you think?"

"I think that the concussion resulted in some brain damage, father," replied Joe.

"Excellent deduction Joe," said Dr. Kido, "I'm going to go take another look at Mr. Helltower's X-rays and see if I can't figure out what's causing him to behave this way."

"Good luck," whispered Hannah as the doctor walked out, "people have been trying to figure out what makes George tick for a long time now."

After Dr. Kido departed, Hannah glanced around suspiciously. As soon as she was sure the coast was clear, she walked over to George's bedside, where he was just finishing his meal.

"Is there something I might help you with my lady?" asked George.

Hannah reached into her purse.

"When I heard about your accident, I flew here as soon as I could," she said, "I took the company jet, and snuck you something from its cooler."

"The company jet?" inquired George, "do I have some famous relative who peddles digitized gaming mechanisms? Is that the 'Helltower Corporation' referred to on your attire?"

"Ummm," said Sora, "you're the Helltower being referred to in 'Helltower Corporation.'"

"Pish-posh!" exclaimed George defiantly, "a gentleman such as myself has no use for such childish devices. I prefer to read the Classics like Shakespeare and Tolstoy myself."

"Anyways," continued Hannah, "I smuggled you a beer!"

Hannah pulled out the bottle from her purse and offered it to George, who looked disgusted.

"A gentleman of my distinction does not drink such low class potables," he stated, "only the finest Gin shall ever touch these lips!"

There was a good five minute of shock resulting from George's refusal.

Finally, Tai broke the silence.

"Wow," exclaimed the gogglehead, "there must have been more brain damage than we thought if George is turning down beers."

"Hmph," said Matt, "you can't damage what was never there to begin with."

Meanwhile, George had begun climbing out of his bed. Nobody noticed until he was standing among them, leaning on the wall for support.

"What are you doing?" demanded Hannah, "you shouldn't be standing!"

"Ridiculous," said George, "now that I am fed, I am ready to depart forthwith."

"But," began Hannah.

"There is much work to do," said Gentleman George, "that vile fiend the Emperor has had several days to complete and refine his villainous plans."

* * *

The Digimon Emperor in question had, in fact, spent the last few days attempting to improve his Dark Rings. So far, however, he wasn't having much luck. There was only so much power the ring could withstand, no matter how thick or wide it was. Having not had a decent night's sleep since SkullGreymon's treachery, the Emperor's thought process was becoming a little frayed, but he came to a realization.

"The ring shape is now useless to me. Its limitations are a hindrance to my plans," he said to nobody in particular, "Therefore, I must try a new shape…"

Meanwhile, Wormmon was watching the developments sadly.

"Oh Ken," he thought, "Why don't you let me help test your Dark Rings?"

Wormmon also had a realization of his own. If Agumon was gone, then Ken would have no choice but to use him as a test subject. The insectoid digimon scuttled off towards the cell that Agumon had been dumped into.

* * *

George stared at the clothes in front of him in dismay. A ratty T-shirt and torn blue jeans were no way for a gentleman to dress.

"Preposterous!" he declared, "These cannot possibly be my attire. A gentleman would never wear such garments!"

"Well these are the clothes you were brought here in," replied the confused nurse.

As George continued to argue with the nurse, Dr. Kido and Hannah were conversing.

"Are you sure it's a good idea for him to leave?" asked the doctor.

"No," replied Hannah honestly, "but once he's made up his mind, that's it. He has to get his way. That much about him hasn't changed."

Dr. Kido sighed.

"You're sure he doesn't remember being the CEO of Helltower Corporation?" he asked.

"Yes," said Hannah, "he's probably blocking that particular fact because it contradicts his view of himself…"

"This isn't good," said the doctor placing his hand on his chin, "I'll keep looking for ways to reverse the damage. In the meantime, make sure he wears a helmet or something to protect what's left of his mind."

"Alright," said Hannah, "I'll also send a scan of his X-rays to his doctors in the States. You can work with them on this one since it's in everyone's best interests to return him to normal…or at least normal for him."

Dr. Kido nodded, and went to procure a wheelchair for George's departure.

Meanwhile, having changed into the T-shirt and jeans (since he was threatened with not being able to leave if he didn't comply) George was staring at himself in the bathroom mirror in disdain.

"I look positively ridiculous," he said, "the first action I am going to take upon my release will be to procure some suitable attire."

"I think you look fine," said Hannah, "but you will need to change clothes…these are a little worse for wear."

The Digidestined had expected resistance when the wheelchair arrived. However, George happily sat in it and smiled merrily.

"Tally ho!" he yelled, as Hannah began pushing him out the door and to freedom.

* * *

Wormmon arrived at Agumon's cell. The orange dinosaur was sleeping when Wormmon entered. Quickly, Ken's partner broke the Dark Ring (which had been severely weakened due to the overloading). Agumon woke up, his normal self once again.

"Go now," said Wormmon, "I've freed you!"

"But why?" asked Agumon, a little confused.

"I'm Ken's partner," said Wormmon, "Ken should try his experiments on me and no one else."

"I understand," said Agumon, "thanks."

With that, the orange dinosaur ran off to freedom.

* * *

"Hmmmm," said Gentleman George, who was now attired in a high collared white dress shirt, a suit vest and tie, matching suit pants, black dress boots and a pair of white riding gloves, "decisions, decisions."

Having dragged his escort to a fancy clothing store upon his release, Lord Helltower was now looking for a hat. In front of him were a feathered black fedora and a top hat.

"The top hat is reminiscent of Abraham Lincoln, a true gentleman, but the fedora goes better with my attire," he mused, "what ever shall I do?"

"Well what ever he's going to do I wish he'd be quick about it," grumbled Matt, "this is getting really annoying."

Eventually, George decided that the fedora would be better after all. As he began to place it atop his head, Hannah requested that he pad the inside with soft cotton.

"What ever for?" asked George, "That would look utterly ridiculous."

"Your head is still recovering from your injuries," explained Hannah, "the padding is for protection."

As George continued to look mutinous, Hannah decided to play her trump card.

"A true gentleman never turns down the request of a fair lady," she said pouting.

"Very well my lady," said George, "for you I shall protect my noggin, although I assure you it is perfectly fine."

"Yeah right," muttered Tai.

"Hmmm," said Sora, "you know Tai, you could learn a thing or two from Lord Helltower."

"What?" asked Tai, more than a little shocked.

"He knows how to treat the ladies," replied his girlfriend.

"But he's brain damaged," protested Tai desperately.

"That doesn't change the fact that he's quite capable of handling the ladies," muttered Izzy glancing towards Mimi, "perhaps we could learn something from him…"

"Not you too Izzy," said Tai incredulously.

"Wha- wait you actually heard that?" asked Izzy, blushing, "That was supposed to be internal dialogue."

"Relax," teased Sora, "we won't tell anyone."

By now, George had placed the padded fedora atop his defective noggin, and was moving on to accessories.

"Argh!" exclaimed Matt, "how long will this take?"

"One must always properly accessorize," explained the now dapper gentleman, "am I right?"

"Totally!" agreed Mimi enthusiastically.

The Pink Princess was quite enjoying this little foray into the dapper department and had also purchased a few new ensembles for herself.

"I thought we were in a rush to return to the Digital World," muttered Matt.

"Tut tut!" exclaimed George, "one must never rush into a duel without being properly attired. That would be unbecoming of a gentleman."

George purchased a gold pocket watch, a set of cufflinks, a black belt, an aristocratic walking stick, and a personalized handkerchief and proceeded into eyewear.

"These sunglasses are far too unsophisticated for my tastes," he said, "I must find something a little more suitable."

After some discussion with the shop attendant, George purchased a monocle, which he placed over his left eye. Having thus completed his ensemble, George and his escort proceeded toward the middle school to rendezvous with the younger Odaiba Digidestined.

* * *

"At last!" thought the Emperor, "my new invention is almost complete!"

On one of the Emperor's monitors he was forming a modified version of the Dark Ring, but this model wasn't a ring anymore.

"Behold," said the Emperor, as he put the finishing touches on the contraption and pushed 'Create', "the Dark Spiral! It is infinitely more powerful than the Dark Ring, and it has a few more bells and whistles too."

As the Emperor glanced at his surveillance cams to find Agumon, he was shocked to find that the orange dinosaur had escaped.

"Wormmon!" he shouted.

The green digimon scuttled into the control room.

"You called Master?" he asked.

"Why didn't you tell me that Agumon had escaped?" he shouted, "this is serious!"

"Good," said Ken's partner, "because what I have to tell you is serious as well."

"Go on," said the Emperor.

"I want you to test your Dark Spiral on me," said Wormmon.

"What?" demanded the Emperor, "Are you insane? Why would I use a pathetic weakling like you?"

"I'm a digimon too," persisted Wormmon, "I can digivolve just as much as any other digimon."

"What would you digivolve into?" scoffed the Emperor, "some kind of weird butterfly with scary wings? Hmph! I'm going to find Agumon. He's a useful digimon!"

The Emperor stomped out of his control room, kicking Wormmon on his way out.

* * *

The younger Odaiba Digidestined were in the computer lab on Izzy's favorite computer when Gentleman George and his entourage arrived. They were engrossed in a conversation with Crocmon, who had just located the newly freed Agumon in a place called Rail Town, which had formerly been part of the rail yard in the Factory Metropolis where the Martian Digidestined had faced GranLocomon. As such, they didn't notice that anything was out of place until George brought attention to himself.

"Tally pip!" he exclaimed, causing the younger Digidestined to turn around.

"Hey it's George!" exclaimed Yolei.

"What the hell happened to you?" asked Davis suspiciously.

"Watch your tongue young Daisuke," said the gentleman, rapping him on the head with his cane, "that's no way to address a gentleman!"

"Brain damage," mouthed Tai behind George, causing the others to nod in understanding.

George wandered over to the computer, where he spotted his old chum, Crocmon.

"Crocmon old chap!" he exclaimed happily, "how nice to see you again!"

"Hi George," said Crocmon, a little confused, but happy to see his partner back on his feet, "I'm glad you're feeling alright."

It was then that Crocmon noticed the brunette who was hanging out near George's shoulder.

"Hey Hannah," said the reptilian digimon smiling widely, "I see you got my message."

"Much obliged Crocmon," said Hannah, "it was good of you to tell me about the accident."

As Hannah and Crocmon caught up, Joe was explaining the situation to the younger Digidestined.

"…so my dad thinks that George hit his head hard enough to cause brain damage," he concluded, "he's working with George's personal doctors in the US to find a way to reverse the damage."

"I know how to fix the damage!" said Davis, "if a hit on the head caused the problem, then a hit on the head will solve the problem!"

"Great idea Davis!" said Tai enthusiastically.

"That's absolutely ridiculous!" said Izzy, "there is absolutely no way that idea could possibly work! Hitting George on the head will only make things worse."

"Awwww," complained the goggleheads.

"Pardon me," said Yolei, poking Hannah in the shoulder, "but who are you?"

Hannah laughed.

"I forgot," she said, "we haven't been introduced yet. I'm Hannah Terazez, one of the original five Digidestined."

"It's nice to meet you," said Cody, holding out his hand. Of all the Digidestined, Cody was the only one who believed that the brain damaged Gentleman George was a vast improvement over the original version.

Tai was getting impatient.

"You said you found Agumon?" he asked.

"Yes," said Crocmon, "he's in Rail Town, not far from where I am now. Unfortunately, Rail Town is under the Emperor's control."

"Then let's go!" exclaimed the older gogglehead.

"I concur," said George, "we must rescue Agumon before he is captured again by the villainous Emperor!"

"I'd better stay here just in case my dad calls," said Joe.

"Right," said Izzy, "and I'll stay here to keep an eye on you guys as usual."

"I'd better bring these clothes back to Sora's house," said Mimi cheerfully.

"Then I guess I'd better go with you," sighed Sora.

George was getting impatient.

"Enough dilly-dallying!" he declared, "let us depart post haste!"

With that, the dapper gentleman raised his digivice and was sucked into the Digital World. Tai, Hannah, Matt, and the younger Odaiba Digidestined followed suit.

* * *

Weakened to the point of exhaustion by the Emperor's experiments, Agumon clambered onto the single train on the edge of Rail Town, not knowing that the Emperor and his sinister agents were hot on his tail.

* * *

Having arrived in the Digital World, George promptly began marching towards Rail Town.

"Uh," said Davis cautiously, "wouldn't it be faster if we flew to Rail Town?"

"And how, pray tell, do you suggest we perform that feat?" asked George.

Crocmon sighed.

"Allow me," he said, as TK, Kari, and Yolei had their partners armor digivolve.

Soon, Gentleman George's eyes widened and a cry of "I can fly?" was heard by all.

Kari and Tai climbed aboard Nefertimon, TK and Matt boarded Pegasusmon, Yolei and Cody were on Halsemon, but Davis was standing awkwardly on his own.

"Fear not little Motomiya!" exclaimed Lord Helltower, "Sobekmon shall carry you!"

The mechanized warrior picked up the younger gogglehead and slung him over his shoulder.

"What about me?" asked Hannah.

"I shall personally carry you my lady," said Gentleman George, "and, as a gentleman, I can assure you that nothing untoward shall occur while I am ferrying you to our destination."

Kari couldn't tell if it was just a trick of the light, but Hannah almost seemed unhappy about that last statement. Nonetheless, she allowed herself to be picked up by the dapper gentleman, and he led the bizarre procession towards Rail Town.

* * *

"We're almost there," said the Emperor, "soon Agumon will be back under my control where he belongs!"

* * *

"There's Rail Town!" exclaimed Sobekmon, "according to my scanners, Agumon is about five miles south-southwest."

The procession landed by a nearby rail cart.

"We must make haste," said George, "I sense evil not far from our current location."

"That's ridiculous!" exclaimed Davis, "nobody can sense evil!"

"Pip pip!" shouted George bopping Davis upside the head with his cane, "never question a gentleman's intuition!"

"Ouch!" complained Davis, "that really hurt!"

He quickly realized that nobody was paying attention to him as they were all climbing aboard the nearby train.

"Tally ho!" shouted George, flipping the ignition with his cane.

The train shot forward at a very high speed.

Soon, they saw another train, this one going north along a different track, and behind the wheel was…Agumon!

"Agumon!" shouted Tai, waving frantically.

"Tai!" shouted Agumon, slowing his train down.

"Whoa!" shouted George, turning off their own train suddenly and causing everybody but himself to flip out of it.

Tai immediately picked himself up and ran towards Agumon, who jumped out of his train and jumped into his partner's arms.

"Wow," said Tai, "don't take this the wrong way, but you look awful."

"Gee thanks," said Agumon sarcastically.

Tai flipped Agumon onto his back piggy-back style and they began walking back to their train, where Gentleman George was waiting with a big smile.

"Jolly good to see you again old chap," he said when Tai and Agumon boarded the train.

"What's his deal?" whispered Agumon.

"He took a little hit to his head," replied Tai, also whispering. He neglected, however, to state that it was SkullGreymon who gave him the 'little hit'.

Suddenly, George frowned and dive tackled everybody onto the train's floor.

"Damn it!" shouted Davis, "what the hell was that for?"

A giant blast of wind blew over the top of the train, nearly causing it to tip on its side.

"Does that answer your query?" asked the gentleman, "it would appear as though our adversary has located us."

"Well he's not taking Agumon again!" said Tai defiantly.

"Quite," said George, jumping out of the train and running towards the Emperor's Airdramon squad.

"Well, well, well," said the Emperor, "look who is back from the dead…what's with that ridiculous outfit you're wearing?"

"You villainous cur," snarled Lord Helltower, "You have incarcerated digimon for the last time!"

Looking confused, the Emperor glanced back at the Digidestined's train.

"Hey!" he shouted, "what's wrong with Helltower? He's acting stranger than usual."

"Brain damage," called back Veemon, "whatever that means…"

"I'll have you know my brain is in fine working order!" said George defiantly.

"Well?" asked TK from within the train, "we can't let George face the Emperor alone."

"Right!" said Kari.

(A/N: Long story short, all of the younger Odaiba Digidestined's digimon, and Crocmon armor digivolved.)

"Wow," said Hannah, "that armor digivolution really is as impressive as I thought."

"Have at thee!" shouted George, brandishing his fancy walking stick.

As the armor digimon charged, the other Airdramon moved in to protect the lead Airdramon on whose head the Emperor was standing.

"Gentleman Jump!" shouted George, jumping high into the air.

Catching the Emperor by surprise, the dapper gentleman swiped his walking stick at him, while he was on the Airdramon's head. The Emperor lost his balance and fell off the Airdramon, but he landed safely on the ground below.

Meanwhile, George landed not far away. He pulled off his white riding gloves and stomped over to the Emperor.

George smacked the Emperor's face with his gloves.

"I challenge you to a duel!" he declared.

"WHAT THE HELL'S THE MATTER WITH YOU?" shouted the Emperor.

"Afraid to engage in fisticuffs with me?" taunted George.

"Never," said the Emperor, putting up his dukes.

"Splendid," said George, "I shall beat the tar out of you."

* * *

Meanwhile the armor digimon were making quick work of the Airdramon. Unfortunately, one of the Airdramon had slunk away as soon as the fighting had begun. This particular Airdramon snuck up on the Digidestined's train and knocked it over with its tail. The Digidestined spilled out of the train, and Agumon rolled right into the middle of the battlefield.

"Agumon no!" shouted Tai, who ran towards the orange dino, but was dive tackled by Matt as an Airdramon's attack neared decapitated him.

"Be careful Tai!" shouted Matt.

"Thanks Matt," said Tai, "I owe you one."

* * *

"Gentleman Punch!" shouted George, landing a blow right between Ken's eyes. The Emperor staggered for a little. Somehow, despite being brain damaged, George was actually managing to defeat him.

"Alright," thought the Emperor, "time to cheat."

Quickly, the Emperor withdrew his whip and lashed it at George. The dapper gentleman yawned as he picked up his cane and twirled the whip around it, drawing Ken closer.

"Gentleman Kick!"

George delivered a powerful kick to the Emperor's chin, sending the fiend flying backwards and onto his rump.

"Tisk, tisk Kenneth," said the gentleman, wagging his finger, "what have I told you about cheating?"

The Emperor growled, but then realized that Agumon was nearby, he reached into his cloak and pulled out a tiny black spiral. One push of a button caused the spiral to grow until it was roughly the same diameter as the Dark Rings.

"Hey Agumon!" shouted the Emperor, throwing the Dark Spiral, "I've got a new friendship bracelet for you!"

"What?" asked the confused Agumon, as the Spiral latched onto his arm.

"Agumon!" shouted Tai, running towards his partner.

Agumon looked up; his eyes were blood red once again. He launched a fireball at Tai, who was rescued by Hannah.

"You fiend!" shouted George, "your quarrel was with me!"

"That might be," said the Emperor, "but now it's all over…for you that is!"

The corrupted Digidestined pulled out his dark digivice.

"Agumon dark digivolve!" he shouted.

"Agumon dark digivolve to—MetalGreymon!"

Skipping a level, Agumon digivolved all the way to his Ultimate level, but this wasn't the MetalGreymon the Odaiba Digidestined were familiar with. Instead of his usual orange skin, this MetalGreymon had blue skin. His right arm was bionic and ended in a three clawed hand. His helmet and lower jaw joints were metallic and he had a metal chest plate. There were metallic components on his tail and legs, and red hair stuck out of his helmet. Finally, there was a pair of tattered metallic wings growing out of his back.

"What the hell is that thing?" asked Davis.

"MetalGreymon," replied Tai, looking scared, "an Ultimate level digimon. His Giga Blaster and Metal Claw attacks are forces to be reckoned with…I would know."

"MetalGreymon," said the Emperor, "I believe it's time to bid farewell to our friends."

The cyborg dinosaur roared, and stomped towards the armor digimon. As they prepared to attack MetalGreymon, Tai got in the way.

"Hold it!" he shouted, "we can't risk hurting Agumon!"

The momentary hesitation was all the tyrant needed.

"Attack MetalGreymon!" he shouted.

"Giga Blaster!"

Two strange grey missiles launch from MetalGreymon's chest plate. They erupt amidst the armor digimon causing them all to dedigivolve.

Laughing, the Emperor climbed onto MetalGreymon's head and began to fly away.

"There's just one flaw with your plan!" called George, who was standing next to the Control Spire.

The dapper gentleman poked the evil tower with his cane, causing it to fall over. Unfortunately, MetalGreymon was still too close to the Emperor for that to have disrupted the power of the Dark Spiral.

The Emperor stuck his tongue out.

"Looks like I win again George," he shouted, laughing maniacally.

"Curses," muttered George, "wrapped in thin aluminum sheets again!"

The other Digidestined looked at him funny.

"Wrapped in thin aluminum sheets. Foiled," said George, and then sighed when nobody understood, "I see my riposte leaves something to be desired."

Meanwhile, Tai was sulking nearby.

"It's all my fault," he said, "if I hadn't hesitated, we could have saved MetalGreymon."

Matt walked over to Tai.

"Tai," he said, punching the gogglehead, who fell to the ground.

"What the hell?" shouted Davis, "Why'd you do that?"

"Tai," said Matt, extending his hand.

"Thanks Matt," said Tai, taking his best friend's hand, "I needed that."

The older gogglehead brushed himself off and then made an announcement.

"Alright everybody, listen up!" he said, "in the future when we're facing the Digimon Emperor it's likely we'll have to face MetalGreymon again. If so, you must go at him with full force. I know Agumon would rather be defeated by us than remain a slave of the Emperor."

"Could you say that in smaller words?" said Veemon.

"Allow me," said Gatomon, "the next time you see MetalGreymon, pummel him into next week understood?"

"Yeah!" shouted the other digimon.

"Let us proceed posthaste!" declared George, "MetalGreymon is waiting for us to rescue him!"

* * *

The Emperor was flying away from Rail Town at high speed on MetalGreymon's head. He had his first major victory and it would cost the Digidestined dearly.

"Still," he thought, "if I'm to initiate the rest of my plan I will need to make further modifications to my Dark Spiral. I can't afford to let it become deactivated just because the Control Spire in the area is destroyed…"

"Let's go MetalGreymon!" shouted the Emperor, "we have a whole world to conquer!"

The cyborg dinosaur growled menacingly in response.

Narrator: What is the Emperor's plan? Will the Digidestined be able to save Agumon from his evil clutches, and will George's brain damage ever be reversed? All this and more on the next Digimon: Digital Monsters!

* * *

21: Ta da! What a plot twist!

Sponsor: You gave your own character brain damage? I'm actually inclined to agree with Matt here, it's just not possible to damage something that never existed in the first place.

The Sponsor gets bopped on the head by Gentleman George's cane.

GG: Perhap you were never informed that it is rude to make disparaging remarks about someone else's intelligence. Especially when you are lacking in that department more so than the person you are insulting.

Sponsor: WHAT THE HELL'S GOING ON HERE?

GG: I'd love to continue this sparring contest of wits, but it is nearly my tea time, so I must be off!

A horse and carriage pulls up to the front door and Gentleman George gets in.

GG: Tally Ho!

21: Well, I think that's enough shenanigans for now. I should be back soon. Cheers!

21 leaves and the Sponsor rushes out before he can be locked in again.


End file.
